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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Telugu Desam cries foul

Special Correspondent

Drama marks PAC meet on Yellampalli

“Congress members took advantage of Chairman
Y. Ramakrishnudu and Opposition members’ absence”
Ramakrishnudu says he will reopen the hearing as the action of Congressmen is against Assembly rules

HYDERABAD: Drama marked the Public Accounts Committee meeting on Friday when the Congress members chose MLC K. Bapiraju as chairman for the day and declared that there was nothing objectionable in Yellampalli project.

This happened reportedly even as the two TDP members, Nagam Janardhan Reddy and Sudhakar Rao, protested their ‘undemocratic move’.

Dr. Janardhan Reddy said the Congress members who were in full strength took advantage of the absence of the chairman Y. Ramakrishnudu and Opposition members and came up with the favourable declaration. He said their persistent appeals to either postpone or just examine the papers, as directed by Mr. Ramakrishnudu, was not heeded. He said backed by the Congress members, and Janata Party MLA K. Ramulu and rebel TRS legislator Mandadi Satyanarayana Reddy, Mr. Bapiraju chaired the meeting and gave a “clean chit”.

But speaking to reporters later, Mr. Bapiraju said it was not correct to say that the Congress members had ‘managed to close’ the Yellampalli issue through brute majority.

“We had gone through all the documents placed before the Committee by the irrigation department officials. The objections raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report and that of the Opposition parties had been verified. The Committee expressed satisfaction with the replies given by the officials,” he remarked.

The Congress members reasoned that the Deputy chairman of PAC, Chada Venkat Reddy (CPI) had not sent any communication about his inability to attend the meeting.

They justified the decision of Mr. Bapiraju to chair the meeting as the rules permitted a member to do so in the absence of the chairman and the deputy chairman.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ramakrishnudu told mediapersons that he would reopen the hearing as the action of Congress members was against the Assembly rules. He said he had informed the Assembly Secretary in advance that he would to be unable to attend and advised that meeting just examine the papers.

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