Press Release
Hyderabad, Dec 26, 2013: After submitting affidavits to the President Pranab Mukherjee seeking a united Andhra Pradesh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has appealed to elected members of all political parties to follow suit to stop the irrational division of the State and asserted that his Party will press for a resolution against the division in the Assembly and will not allow the discussion on the draft Bill to progress.
“Once we yield to the discussion on the draft Bill, it will tantamount to agreeing for the division of State and we will not allow that to happen. In normal course, the Assembly has to pass a resolution seeking the division of the State which will be sent to the Centre. A draft Bill will then be prepared on the basis of the resolution which has to be taken up for discussion by the State Assembly.
But things are happening the other way round redefining democracy and there is imperative need to fight this injustice. We have met the President and submitted affidavits pledging full support to a united state and I appeal to all elected representatives, cutting across party lines, to give similar affidavits which will form the basis for a protest and will act as a deterrent to the proposed Bill. It will also help in the legal recourse,” he told reporters here on Thursday after returning from Rashtrapathi Nilayam.
First we will submit a note highlighting the injustice being done by the division and then we will press for a resolution for Samaikyandhra and we will not support the debate on the draft Bill as people of all regions will suffer if the state is bifurcated.
Irrespective of what Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy or TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu say, “I once again appeal to the MLAs to file affidavits in support of a united state and voice the concern of the multitude of people against the division process. You act according to your conscience and file the affidavits which will save the State from a major break-down
Chandrababu Naidu cannot ask his MLAs to give the affidavit as he is not prepared to give a similar undertaking as he had already given a letter in favour of the division of the State and he has openly told the APNGO leaders that he would not withdraw the letter he had given,” he said.
Kiran Kumar Reddy on the other hand has been very uncertain in his thoughts and actions. While he has been contending for a debate on the draft Bill, he has written to 56 Departments to gather and submit data on the division on a priority basis.
This shows that the Government has tabled the Bill without having enough data. They do not have the data but still they have decided to go about with the debate on the State Regorganisation draft Bill.
Speaker Nadendla Manohar on the other hand, has been on a touring spree to Lucknow and other places to study how the states were divided. The process is very simple and known to everyone that the Uttar Pradesh assembly has passed a unanimous resolution seeking the division the state and Uttarakhand was formed.
“Here such a resolution was not passed. The Centre has unilaterally sent the draft Bill and the Government has tabled it and wanted to discuss it and is rushing through the process. This reverse process is not acceptable. We will press for a resolution seeking a united State in the Assembly first and will not take up discussion on the draft Bill as that will infer that we are in agreement to the state division.
I appeal to all MLAs to cooperate and file affidavits and press for a resolution when the House assembles and do not take part in the debate on draft Bill as it is irrational,” he said.
All our party MLAs, including YS Vijayamma, three MPs, five MLCs and 13 out of the 15 disqualified MLAs called on the President and submitted the affidavits. He gave a patient hearing to our contention and carefully gone through the contents of the affidavits,” he said adding two members who could make it will submit the affidavits later.
The disqualification of the MLAs, who voted in favour of the no-confidence motion against Kiran Kumar Reddy government, has been a blatant misuse of power as the State has stretched the decision to make use of the provision that no by-election would be held if the term of the assembly is less than one year. The MLAs have said that they would have filed the affidavits had there been by-election and if they had returned to the assembly.
Making light of the reports linking the Party to APNGOs elections, he said it is matter of no consequence as it is an employee’s election.
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