Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member in the Legislture Council N. Ramachandra Rao described the new Municipal Act as a Draconian law and demanded its immediate recall.
Participating in the discussion in the Council after the Bill was introduced, he said the government was trying to threaten people with the Act rather than coming to their rescue. Giving enormous powers to Collectors including dismissal of the elected representatives was undemocratic and an effort to centralise power.
He felt that there was scope for misusing the powers by the government and that was perhaps the intention too.
Only the ruling party members will get preference while the opposition’s voice would be crushed. The entire exercise was against the Constitution, he argued.