Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhatti Vikramarka has cautioned the Government against diluting constitutional institutions and encouraging defections as it did in the last Assembly.
Speaking after assuming office as leader of the CLP, Mr. Vikramarka accused the ruling party of playing a mind game on defections and said no MLA from the party would leave. “We are together and will play a crucial role in ensuring that the promises made to people in the elections by the ruling party are implemented.”
He said the party had requested Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy to ensure that democratic rights of the MLAs were protected and the constitutional norms respected.
Criticising the Governor’s speech in the Assembly, Mr Vikramarka said it was just a TRS manifesto read out at a public meeting during the elections rather than highlighting where the Government had failed to fulfil the promises.
He said AICC president Rahul Gandhi ensured that farmers’ loans were waived within days of the party coming to power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. But here there was no clarity on when and how the loan waiver would be implemented by the TRS as promised in the elections.
The Governor also failed to give clarity on enhancement of Aasara pensions and increasing the retirement age of Government employees to 61 years. Mr. Shabbir Ali, MLC, said the Governor made a mention of the Government being serious on 12% reservations to minorities. There was no clarity on whether it was for Muslims or all minorities.
‘A Congress scheme’
Manthani MLA D. Sridhar Babu said the financial assistance of ₹10,000 per acre for farmers had been promised by the Congress in the 2014 manifesto itself and the TRS lifted it, giving it a new name, Rythu Bandhu. In fact, the 24-hour power supply was possible as the earlier Congress government had completed 99% of the the grid connectivity and TRS came to power only to use the facility. Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Venkataramana Reddy also spoke.
