Press statement from YSR Congress party

We are surprised at the decision of the Hon’ble Speaker of AP Legislative Assembly to reject on Technical grounds 13 petitions filed on behalf of our Party to disqualify 13 Members of the Legislative Assembly who having been elected on YSRCP ticket have openly defected to the ruling TDP in the full glare of media.

The spirit of Tenth Schedule to the Constitution is to curb the menace of unethical practice of political defections as they undermine the very foundations of our democracy and the principles which sustain it. In the instant case, none of the 13 MLAs have denied the fact of joining TDP after winning on YSRCP ticket. They are attending all TDP functions and making no secret of their defecting to TDP. If there is rule of law prevailing in the State, the Speaker should have long ago disqualified all the said 13 MLAs. Now that our Petition is coming up before the Hon’ble Supreme Court on 8th July 2016, the Hon’ble Speaker has hurriedly announced his decision to reject the Petitions seeking disqualification so that the Advocate on behalf of the Hon’ble Speaker can accordingly submit to Hon’ble Supreme Court that the Petitions have been disposed of and that no action is pending from his side!!

As per various judgments of Hon’ble Supreme Court, the Hon’ble Speaker acts as a Quasi-Judicial Tribunal and therefore has to follow all the rules and regulations of a judicial body while adjudicating upon the disqualification petitions under Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India. Instead of calling Press Conference to announce his decision to reject the Petitions on the so called Technical Grounds, the Hon’ble Speaker ought to have summoned the Petitioner to his chambers, consistent with Judicial practices, and after affording an opportunity to the Petitioner of being heard, his decision should have been announced. Unfortunately, this has not been done.