Privileges panel decision to deny mike to TDLP leaders decried

‘Questioning government on people’s issues is not a crime’

September 23, 2021 11:58 pm | Updated 11:58 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA

TDP’s Repalle MLA A. Satya Prasad has objected to the decision of the Assembly Privileges Committee to deny mike to TDLP Deputy Leaders K. Atchannaidu and Nimmala Ramanaidu to speak in the House.

Mr. Satya Prasad wrote separate letters to the Privileges Committee Chairman and the Assembly Secretary on Thursday, requesting them to reconsider their decision.

“Denial of the opportunity to speak in the legislative bodies is tantamount to undermining the freedom of expression guaranteed in the Constitution. It is not correct to prevent the Opposition leaders from speaking on people’s issues in the Assembly,” Mr. Satya Prasad said.

“In fact, the Opposition has the responsibility to bring people’s problems to the notice of the government. In a democracy, the Opposition has a duty to question the policies of the government at every step,” he said.

Terming the decision as unilateral, the TDP MLA said the ruling YSRCP would take suggestions and advice from the Opposition if it were really committed to the well-being of the people.

“Any criticism will have to be taken in a constructive way. It is not correct to consider the questioning of the government on people’s issues as a crime,” Mr. Satya Prasad said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.