Even though Andhra Pradesh assembly has been adjourned sine die and the government ensured passage of nine bills in a matter of two hours, the epic battle between YSR Congress leader Jaganmohan Reddy and chief minister Chandrababu Naidu remained inconclusive. It’s all set to spill over into the streets from next week with chief minister planning to launch counteroffensive against Jagan, while the latter is planning to range entire state against Naidu by sitting on fast unto death from third week of September.
The just concluded monsoon session was ruled by lungpower rather than informed debates on the agenda lying before the house. The entire state watched the ding-dong battle of TDP and YSRC. While the ruling party called the YSRC leader as Psycho and his as a parties of psychos, Jagan called TDP leader a goonda and TDP as a party of goondas. During the five-day session, the YSRCP tried to corner the ruling party by raising an issue a day and hijacked the house with adjournments and walkout.
All issues, whether it was pattiseema, capital Amaravati, price-rise, drought or the cash-for-vote- boiled down to Jagan vs Naidu fight. While Opposition attended the house with a sole objective of pinning down Naidu on one issue or the other, the treasury benches had worked hard to prick him with disproportionate assets cases in which Jagan was A.1. Jagan asked the CM to resign on moral grounds as he was the mastermind behind the cash-for-vote scam as per the CBI chargesheet, Naidu gave a retort by describing Jagan a Friday-man. ” You are attending court cases on every Friday.You have no moral right to question my integrity,” Naidu told Jagan. While the Opposition leader asked Naidu a pointed question to tell if the purported voice recorded in the conversation that took place between Stephen Sebastian, a nominated Telangana MLA and Naidu was not his.
But, the defense put up by treasury benches failed to match up the offensive launched by the Opposition party. Even though the TDP deployed leaders with lung-power such as – ministers Ravela Kishore Babu, Achhannaidu, chief whip Kalva Srinivasulu, MLA Dhulipalla Narendra, Palle Raghunatha Reddy they proved a mismatch with rival side represented RK Roja, G Srikanth Reddy, J Nehru, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy etc.
While Jagan raised the current issues, the TDP tried to counter them with two-year old cases of Jagan less effectively. Ultimately as an opposition leader Jagan is proven successful in his floor strategy by grabbing headlines. Surprisingly, TDPs Naidu is also equally successful in implementing his floor strategy as he ultimately got all bills passed without any problem. After all, the session is always meant to get the house-nod to the bills the government wants to push through.
