The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has demanded the resignation of AP Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy owning moral responsibility for the serious strictures passed by the Supreme Court of India against his Government for ‘unlawfully and unconstitutionally’ removing State Election Commissioner N Ramesh Kumar.
TDP Spokesperson Kommareddy Pattabhi Ram asserted that if Jagan Reddy has any ethical values left, he should immediately resign from the Chief Minister post in the wake of serious censures passed by none other than Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde. While hearing the case, Justice Bode commented clearly that the AP Government’s ‘motive is not pure behind promulgating the Ordinance’ that led to removal of SEC Ramesh Kumar.
Mr. Pattabhi, addressing a virtual press conference here, pointed out that AP High Court Chief Justice Maheswari had also commented that there was no public interest nor a Constitutional necessity by the Governor to promulgate the Ordinance and it was intended to remove SEC in the name of electoral reforms. It was clear Jagan Reddy Government’s constitutional violations have defamed Andhra Pradesh in the highest courts and even in the National Capital.
Stating that the CJI personally heard the SEC case, Mr. Pattabhi pointed out that Justice Bobde warned AP Government not to play games with the people running Constitutional institutions which was a rare censure against a State government. Also, the CJI issued notices to the State Government which was another rare step considering the seriousness of violations by the YCP regime. If Jagan Reddy has any respect left for the Constitution, he has no option but to resign.
Mr. Pattabhi advised YCP not to further complicate the matter but make necessary arrangements for reinstatement of Ramesh Kumar and allow him to discharge his SEC duties in a smooth manner. He challenged Jagan Reddy to get his family’s Rs. 5-crore lawyer Mukul Rohatgi to hold a press conference in Delhi to misinterpret the SC order like AP Advocate General, IAS officers Praveen Prakash and Gopalakrishna Dwivedi did with HC order.
