While the war of words between the YSR Congress Party and the Telugu Desam Party rages over the decision to dissolve the Legislative Council, the former has come up with the footage of a speech by TDP president Nara Chandababu Naidu in 2004 against the decision of the then Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to revive the Council.
Telugu Desam leader and MLA Kinjarapu Atchannaidu told reporters at the party office in Mangalagiri that Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy was trying to undo the legacy of YSR by taking the decision to dissolve the Council.
In the video footage, Mr. Naidu was seen speaking against the Council by making a strong pitch against its revival stating that the exercise would impose a heavy financial burden on the State and delay the passage of bills.
Narrating the sequence of events since the Montford Committee recommendations in 1918 against bicameral legislature, the deliberations of Round Table Conference, remarks made by the first President of India, Babu Rajendra Prasad, the then Congress president in 1934, till 1950 when the Constitution of India came into force, Mr. Naidu said that there was much opposition to the institution of Council.
“Now, we have 294 members in the Legislative Assembly, who are young, intelligent and educated. What is the need of the Legislative Council, when we have such a large number of educated people in the House, except for rehabilitating disgruntled Congress leaders? Further, the council can block the passage of bills up to a maximum period of four months,” questioned Mr. Naidu in 2004.
After releasing the video footage, the YSRCP leaders said that Mr. Naidu was speaking in double tongue as he spoke against the Council, when YSR tried to revive it, and now, he was speaking against the dissolution of the Council.
