The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Andhra Pradesh government over the delay in submitting a report on the arrest of rebel YSRCP MP Raghuramakrishna Raju.
The NHRC had earlier sought for a report from the state government on the arrest of the MP.
On Tuesday, the commission expressed anger over the delay in filing the report and issued conditional summons to the state government.
The commission has ordered the state government to submit its report by August 9.
The MP’s son Bharat had approached the NHRC, after his father was arrested on sedition charges, by the AP CID in May this year.
The NHRC had ordered the Andhra Pradesh DGP to enquire into the MP’s allegations of being tortured while in custody.
The DGP was supposed to submit the report to the NHRC by June 7, but was delayed.
YSR Congress responded strongly to the criticism of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu that some leaders were stopping his efforts to develop Rayalaseema and said in it was Naidu who stood in the way of region’s development. Coming down heavily on Chandrababu Naidu for his remarks at the Kurnool public meeting today at the foundation laying program for Urdu University, YSR Congress alleged that the TDP government had no intention of developing Rayalaseema and development had a different meaning for the Chief Minister.
‘The development indicators are not to be seen anywhere near the levels of satisfaction in the state after TDP took over. For the chief minister development means the well-being of his family business and that of his coterie,’ party MLA G Srikanth Reddy said on Monday.
Brushing aside the remarks that some Rayalaseema local leaders were stalling the development process in Rayalaseema, he said, ‘ it was during the period of YSR that major irrigation projects like Galeru-Nagari, Hundri-Neva have taken shape and have come close to completion. Unfortunately they are suffering paucity funds now due to Naidu’s step motherly treatment,” he said.
It was during YSR term that faction feuds had come to an end and the region had seen development but the TDP term has always been of apathy, he said and added that Naidu had the habit of blaming others for his non-performance. ” That was the reason for Chandrababu Naidu’s outbursts and he has to answer in detail the development program taken up by his government,’ he said. He reiterated that YSR Congress demands special status and special package is no match or substitute for it.
speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao disallowed the adjournment motion submitted by YSRCP on issue of special category status to Andhra Pradesh. The party wanted suspension of all the business and take up the issue and pass a resolution demanding the centre to bestow special status on AP.
The YSRC members trouped into the well and surrounded the Speaker’s podium demanding taking up of the motion. They raised slogans, displayed placards. Disallowing the motion, the speaker said the government was ready to make a statement on the issue and it would be followed by a discussion and a resolution also. “The adjournment motion has been disallowed. Your are not supposed to raise the demand again in the house and stall the proceedings. Mr Jagan, please ask your members to take their seats,” speaker said adding that a government statement was very much on the agenda.
Legislative affairs minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu appealed to the Opposition benches to cooperate with the government as it was ready to take up the matter as per agenda, agreed upon in the business advisory committee this morning. Jagan said the statement was a ploy to avoid the debate. “Why is the house taking up question hour after 12 instead of taking up the adjournment motion?” Jagan asked stating the statement of chief minister was only a ploy to avoid the debate.
Responding to the toning down of demand for special category state status by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, YSR Congress today categorically said there was no substitute for special status.
The party said it would not settle for anything short of Special Status to Andhra Pradesh and stated that TDP Government was trying to prepare people in the direction of some alternative package.
“Special package can never be a substitute for special status and Chief Ministers made an attempt to dilute the issue and asked the people to settle for less. This will not be tolerated as there would be a yawning gap between the two,” party senior leader Dharmana Prasada Rao remarked on Thursday.
Strongly reacting to the remarks of Chief Minister made at a press conference at Vijayawada, he said the remark clearly indicated that the CM was leaning towards settling for a special package.
“We won’t tolerate this and fight it tooth and nail,” Dharmana announced.
The TDP leaders, who called on finance minister Arun Jaitley a day after YS Jaganmohan Reddy’ dharna in national capital, came out silently and started harping on special package, he alleged. “Many states have benefited from the special category status. AP will also get an opportunity to forge ahead under special category status. We will condemn the TDP’s changed attitude towards special status,” he said.
YSR Congress today made it clear that nothing short of special category status as assured by union government was acceptable to it.
stating that the Party would fight relentlessly to achieve the special status for the State, YSR Congress slammed the BJP and TDP combine for diluting the issue and going in for special package.
The special package which union finance minister was talking of was a sham, he said.
‘A day after we staged a dharna in New Delhi, TDP started its fire-fighting exercise in the national capital with a few MPs and a minister. They met finance minister Arun Jaitley who gave no categorical assurance but only spoke that the Centre may consider of giving a special package in the days to come,’ party senior leader Botsa Satyanarayana said.
TDP leaders and the Chief Minister are trying to give a posture that they have achieved a great thing by talking to the Union Finance Minister. But in reality they did not get any assurance on the special
status and it is back to square one, he added.
He said this was only a gimmick to divert the attention of the people, who are on warpath,from the successful YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Delhi dharna.
“There will be no let up in our agitation seeking special status and the August 29 bandh is the next step to mount pressure on the Centre to accord special status. It is only with the special status that the State will develop industrially and the economy will take off towards development with people getting jobs and quality of life improving,” he said.
The Andhra Pradesh bandh called by CPI in association with all opposition parties against the centre’s apathy towards granting special category status to the state was peaceful on Tuesday. While the bandh was complete in many districts, it evoked partial response in a couple of districts.
Rallies were carried out by Congress, YSR Congress, CPM, other parties and civic organizations supporting the bandh and demanding immediate declaration of special category state status to Andhra.
Both NDA at centre and TDP government at state had come in for attack for reneging on their promise to accord special status.
In all towns across the state educational institutions, business establishments and petrol bunks were shut. Cinema exhibitors cancelled the morning shows in theaters. Till afternoon RTC buses were off the roads. In some place police intervention enabled RTC to ply some buses. Very few were seen on the roads. Though banks, government offices and central government organizations functioned, the attendance was thin. In Kakinada, police used mild lathi charge to disperse the workers of various political parties assembled to stage a dharna near collector’s office.
In Vijayawada APCC President N Raghuveera Reddy, CPI State Secretary K Rama Krishna led protest marches. Raghuveera visited relay hunger strike camp organized by Bar Association at court complex and expressed party’s solidarity with them and called for a united fight.
He said the bandh was success as the people rose to the occasion united to express their anger.He hoped that TDP and BJP would rethink of their stand on special status. In Ongole, YSRC , CPI and CPM staged demonstrations and ensured the bandh wascomplete. Similarly, Vizianagaram and Anatapuram also observed the bandh peacefully.
YSRC Congress has called for a statewide bandh on August 28, just before the commencement of Assembly session. Sharpening his attack with the martyrdom of Muni Koti, Jagan today lashed out at the BJP leadership at centre and TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu at state for ignoring the crucial demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh.
Jagan led a massive dharna near Jantar Mantar opposite Parliament on Monday, in which thousands of party workers from Andhra Pradesh participated. Giving an indication to shape of the political realignment to happen in the state, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri came down to the Jantar Mantar to call on Jagan and expressed solidarity with YSRCP on the demand of Special Status.
“We will support Jagan and his party on the issue,” Yechuri announced from stage.
He said the CPM would voice its concern in the Parliament and outside by participating in various dharnas.
“We had opposed the division of the State in the Parliament when the Bill came up for discussion. we had also said that the division would lead to many problems in the coming days. Our forecast is coming true. Still, We are extending our support to the cause of special status at all fora,’ the CMP general secretary said.
Observers see Jagan’s support to tomorrow bandh call given by CPI, and today’s CPM support to Jagan as an indication to a possible opposition unity in Andhra Pradesh against the ruling TDP-BJP combine.
Jagan may use the centre’s apaty and TDP’s silence on the Andhra peoples’ demand for special category status to achieve a modicum of unity among the opposition parties. Left will have no reason to join hands with as long as Naidu is in Saffron company.
In a way YSRC and Left parties appear to have come together. The other parties, Congress and Lok Satta, can’t maintain distance, in case these parties announce an action plan. Who is to be watched is the hero Pawan Kalyan. He may have to take a decision against the wishes of BJP central leadership and TDP leadership in the state. Most likely scenario is that he would disappear from the scene in the name of movie shooting as he doesn’t rub Prime Minister Modi on wrong side.
Addressing the dharna Jagan said Andhra Pradesh could not be denied special status when North-Eastern states were brought under special category protection to overcome their problems.
He assailed TDP for trading peoples interests with his personal agenda and maintaining stoic silence even though NDA minister openly denied the special status.
The fight will not stop here, Jagan asserted stating that the YSRCP would take if forward.
He gave a call for state-wide bandh on August 28 and appealed to the people to make it a success.
“It is very unfortunate that one person,MuniKoti, resorted to self immolation, seeking special status as he had foreseen that at least one generation wiould suffer in backwardness if the special status is denied,” he said.
He was critical of Rahul also for having forgotten the demand for about 15 months.
Nagarjuna University, finally, has been forced to lodge a complaint with police against Architecture College principal Baburao under the Anti Ragging Act at the behest of the fact finding committee of YSR Congress in sensational suicide case of student Rishiteswari.
The committee of the comprising of MLA Roja, Senior Leader Pratha Saradi, Goutham Reddy, Prof Ummareddhy Venkateswarlu etc. came to know many hidden facts related to the death of Rishiteswari,who committed suicide a month ago unable to bear obscene ragging and harassment by seniors, during its investigation.
The committee confronted with Samba Shivarao (VC) and Raja Shekar (University Registrar) for their failure to lodge complaint against the principal, who is known to misbehave with girl-students.
MLA Roja demanded that Baburao be arrested immediately and expressed her concern for the students well-being.
YSRC alleged that fact-finding committee set-up by the government was in fact trying to suppress the facts.
TDP Chandrababu Naidu’s weakness is YSRC Jaganmohan Reddy ‘s strength. Sensing that the TDP is not able to wage a battle for special category status, YSR Congress wants to exploit it to become the champion of the cause and mobilize people around the issue. As the TDP cabinet could not take a stand on the union planning minister Inderjit Singh’s assertion that they had no plan to accord special category status to any state, Jagan has given a call to his party workers to make the August 10 New Delhi Dhrana a grand success.in. It accused the TDP of setting aside the demand for special status for considerations. As the field is left open for opposition party, YSRCP is mobilizing two trainloads of party workers to Delhi for its Dharna.
“Two special trains will leave on August 7 from Anakapalle and Tirupati covering all the districts to ferry Party leaders and cadre to participate in the dharna and the March to Parliament on August 10 ,” party leader Botsa Satyanarayana said Saturday.
He said it was very evident from the tone and conduct of TDP Government that it was trading the Special Status issue for other considerations and was mortgaging the interests of people in Delhi for personal and political gains.
Party MPs, MLAs, MLCs and district level leaders will join the dharna, he added.
Taking objection to the tall claims of Chandrababu Naidu on his influence in conferring highest civilian award to Abdul Kalam, Botsa asked why the same influence did not work in the case of TDP founder leader NTR.
Political tremors have been felt in Andhra Pradesh within hours after centre’s clarification that there was no possibility bestowing special status on Andhra Pradesh.
YSR Congress and CPI raised their voice against chief minister Naidu’s failure to persuade the centre to get the special category status which Andhra Pradesh needs badly to take the path industrialization.
“Chandrababu Niadu government should withdraw its support to the BJP-led NDA government as it has failed to live up to the promise the leaders made to the people of Andhra Pradesh in parliament on Special Status,” party senior leader K Parthasarathi said.
“While the Centre has been apathetic on the issue, the State has failed to put up stir the Centre into action from biding time. The TDP should come out from the NDA coalition instead of mortgaging Telugu pride in Delhi,” he said.
“It is high time for Chandrababu Naidu to give an ultimatum to the Centre on the special status issue as the BJP leaders have changed their stance after coming to power,” he said.
He also said YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had been reminding the Centre on the issue at every available opportunity but it was the TDP which was maintaining intriguing silence.
Stating that his party had also planned a dharna at Delhi on the issue, Parthasarathi demanded that Chandrababu Naidu should give an ultimatum to BJP.
Meanwhile the CPI has also intensified its attack on Naidu and gave a call for a state bandh on August 11. On Friday the Communist party has announced its plan of action to exert pressure on the centre. Party Andhra Pradesh secretary said they would organize Bus Yatra in all 13 districts from August 1 to 9 and wait for the response from the centre and the state. ” It we don’t get any positive signal about the special status we will organize the bandh on August 11,” Ramakrishna said.
He wondered as to how the BJP leaders assured special status for 10 years on the floor of the Rajya Sabha and go back once formed the government. He extended support to Jagan’s fight against NDA government.
YSR Congress will stage a dharna on August 10 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to protest against the delay in according the Special category state status to Andhra Pradesh and to highlight the TDP Government’s indifference on the issue.
Party president and Opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will lead the dharna and a march of party MPs, MLCs, MLAs, and other leaders, to the Parliament.
“Though our Party President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has time and again brought the issue to the notice of the concerned authorities in Delhi there was no response and the State Government has been silent on the issue for reasons not known. Hence we have decided to hold a dharna in Delhi on August 10,” party leaders Pilli Subashchandra Bose and Jyothula Nehru announced on Thursday.
The special status issue was raised by BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu, who wanted it to be extended to ten years and not five years, while the then Prime Minister Dr Man Mohan Singh has assured of special status. Our state can develop industrially and on other fronts only if the special status is accorded.
As the TDP government is not taking any initiative, we will pursue the matter by holding a dharna,” they said adding that perhaps Andhra Pradesh is the only State in the country which has no capital in its territory.
Earlier in the day, Jagan held a meeting with the party leaders and discussed the political developments in which the special status and the strategy for the ensuing assembly session were discussed, they said.
The Principal Opposition party strongly responded to Rahul’s biting criticism that there was no oppostion in Andhra Pradesh.
YSR Congress wondered that howAICC vice president Rahul Gandhi suddenly woke up from a deep slumber and all of a sudden wanting to console the farmers of of Andhra Pradesh.
The party said its only a ploy to regain a foothold in the state.
“Rahul Gandhi who did not react to the major issues that have been affecting the State suddenly descended on the State only with ulterior and political motives as the Congress Party, which was responsible for division of the state, was and is working in tandem with TDP,’ Party leader K Parthasradhi remarked on Friday.
Before pointing accusing finger at the Opposition he should first make it clear as to why the Congress Party did not raise in Parliament the issue of the tragedy at Godavari Pushkaralu and the encounter deaths of Tamil Nadu workers at Sheshachalam forest in the name of red sanders smugglers, he said.
He said it was the main Opposition YSR Congress that had taken up the issue of Polaravam, special status and others with the Centre time and again.
Rahul Gandhi’s tall talk would be of no help to him or his Party, Partha Sarathi said.
He alleged that the entire exercise seems to be sponsored by TDP as the two parties had worked in tandem on earlier occasions .
Attributing Congress victory in the State in 2004 and 2009 to YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s persona he said the Congress was wiped out in post- YSR elections and had no scope of any revival.
Hyderabad High Court put Telangana Speaker S Madhusudanachary on notice that he should respond to the court notice with regard to the petitions filed seeking disqualification of defected MLAs. Court gave the speaker two-week time to respond.
Congress and YSR Congress filed these petitions seeking directions to speaker to disqualify their party MLAs who defected to TRS.
The bench comprising acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice S V Bhatt, issued the notice to the Speaker who was charged by the petitioners with taking inordinate time in deciding on their pleas.
Dharam Reddh, Teegeal Krishna Reddy,Talasani Srinivasa Yadav(TDP), K Kanakaiah (Congress), Madan Lal (YSRC) are among those who defected to TRS.
YS Jaganmohan Reddy led YSR Congress will join hands with Congress party in opposing and defeating the Land Acquisition Bill in parliament.
The Parliament monsoon session is commencing from July 21, and it is going to be crucial one for both BJP and Telugu Desam party. The YSRC parliamentary board has asked its members to vote against the Land bill in Parliament. This brings YSRC closer to the Congress which is campaigning for the defeat of the Land Bill-2015.
This is for the first time, Congress and YSR Congress, which TDP president Chandrababu Naidu used to call “mother Congress and child Congress”, coming closer.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has given a call to all opposition parties in parliament to defeat the bill which is going to amend the existing land acquisition act brought about by UPA government. All non-NDA parties are opposing the bill and are expected to join hands to defeat the bill. It is really testing time for Modi led NDA government, whose numbers fall short of majority in Rajya Sabha.
Even though the Bill will have no problem in getting the nod of Lok Sabha, it is certain to pave the way for unity of opposition parties. On record, the YSR Congress has nine members in Lok Sabha, one is from Telangana and eight from Andhra Pradesh. Of the eight, MPs SPY Reddy and Kothapalli Gita have switched sides and they may vote in favor of bill.
“We strongly oppose the Land Acquisition Bill which allows the acquisition of multi crop lands without incorporating the necessary buffers like social impact assessment and consent of the farmers,” Party MP and floor leader in Lok Sabha Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy told reporters after the Parliamentary Party meeting held under the chairmanship of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. YSRCPP met to discuss the strategy to be adopted in the monsoon session beginning July 21. Many issues such as special status to Andhra Pradesh, high level probe into cash-for-vote scam, expediting the construction of Polavaram project, implementation of other provisions in the AP reorganization Act will ensure that YSRC and Congress are in the page during the session.
Nailing the government’s governmental lies on the Pushkar tragedy, YSR Congress said it was all chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s self-promotion craze that led to the stampede at the main ghat of Puskharalu in Rajahmundry on Tuesday.
The presence of a popular film director and his filming of Chief Minister and his family members performing puja bears testimony to this, the party leader Botsa Satyanarayana said
“Popular film director Boyapati Sreenu (Srinivas) was seen directing the chief minister and his family members at the main Pushkar ghat, where general public were supposed to take the holy dip, and Chandrababu Naidu was posing to the camera instead of showing the spiritual fervor. It is nothing but mockery of the sacred ritual,” he said.
“The concern of the Chief Minister is only to promote himself as organizer the event grander than that of Kumbha Mela and to show it off to the world though an expensive documentary. He had little concern for the devotees, who were milling and waiting from the early hours to take the holy dip,” he said.
Stating that the publicity mania of the Chief Minister had taken the lives of over 32 persons, Botsa said the Collector in his report to the Human Rights Commission had clearly mentioned that the restive crowd could not be managed as the main gate was closed for over two hours and they were let in at once.
“Now people have right to know if a case was filed against the chief minister. Had the incident occurred while shooting any film, a case would have been be booked against the director, actor and the crew,” he said and demanded that Chandrababu Naidu should quit immediately.
YSR Congress has taken strong objection to TRS government’s attempt to modify the design of Pranahita-Chevella Project in Telangana.
Dismissing Telangana Chief Minister KCR’s remarks against feasibility of Pranahitha-Chevella project as conceived by YSR, Telangana party president Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said finding fault with the design and limiting its utility to four districts instead of six was unfortunate.
Drawing a parallel between two Telugu states, the Reddy said while Andhra Pradesh government is delaying the Polavaram project, T-government is planning to redesign it only to disconnect them from YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s name.
Reddy recalled the how YRS strove to get national project status to these projects.
He said Chief Ministers of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states were ignoring the Jalayagnam projects just because they were initiated by YS Rajasekhar Reddy when he was chief minister.
“The two chief ministers are putting their personal agenda ahead of public interest and are trying to scrap the various welfare schemes launched by YSR which were benefiting poorer sections of the society,” he added.
YSR had strived to bring national project status to both the projects which were now being given short shrift by the two chief ministers, he added.
YSR Congress accused the TDP government of conspiring to cut benefits to poor from the schemes launched by YSR government between 2004 and 2009 by insisting on the Aadhar linkage. This ultimately is to discontinue the welfare schemes of YSR, the party alleged.
Insisting on linking of Aadhar cards to welfare schemes was against the verdict of Supreme Court on the issue, the party said.
“The Supreme Court of India ruled against linking Aadhar to welfare schemes. Yet, state cabinet took decision to link Aadhar to all welfare schemes apparently to dilute the welfare schemes introduced by YSR,” Party SC Cell President Merugu Nagarjuna told reporters here on Monday.
He reminded that Naidu vociferously opposed the Aadhar linkage while in Opposition in 2013. But, after assuming power he took an U-turn exposing his double standards.
The decision, with on stroke, make lakhs of people who do not possess Aadhar card ineligible to get benefits from welfare schemes.
“Such decisions taken by the cabinet are anti-people and are aimed at only bringing down the number of beneficiaries of which weaker sections form the major chunk”, he said.
YSRC urged the state government to revoke the decision and respect the apex court verdict.
YSR Congress has staged a walk out of the Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) meeting stating that there was no proper representation from the Telangana state even though the state has sizable population and problems that require immediate attention.
“YSRC walked out of the meeting along with members from CPI and CPM protesting the government’s apathy towards Tribal people. What is the sanctity of the meeting when the minister Chandulal and top officials were not present and the meeting was reduced to a mere formality,” Party MLA Payam Venkateswarlu said while coming out of meeting..
Election commission of India(ECI) is keen on knowing the progress of investigation into the cash-for-vote scam that is rocking the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana following the arrest of TDP MLA Revanth Reddy.
The commission has reportedly instructed Banwarlal, the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra and Telangana, to keep it posted with the progress of the investigation on day-to-day basis.
The commission is taking the case as a model one as it is for the first time that an MLA was arrested while offering money to another MLA to influence his voting and a chief minister of another state is involved. Even though cash-for-vote scams are not uncommon, catching the MLA red-handed has never happened in history of Independent India, said a senior functionary with the ECI.
“This is going to be a model case for us. We are closely watching the case and its investigation. Everything depends on the outcome of the ACB court,” the functionary told Telugu360.com.
The election commission has filed petition in the court urging it to provide information regarding the cash-for-vote scam.
However, ACB denied it stating that it could part with information only after court decides on the case.
Regarding the disqualification of the MLAs involved in the crimes, the EC sources said, ” the disqualification is made automatic after the court conviction. A 2013 Supreme Court judgment made the disqualification automatic after conviction of the MLA by the court,” the sources said.
Meanwhile, the commission directed the district collectors and respective political parties ensure that all MPTC ( Mandal Parishat Territorial Constituency) member from leaving district without permission in the run up to the Election to the Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh. Commission also asked the collectors to keep watch on the activities of political parties in order prevent holding of MPTCs in camps. The commission informed the parties that the expenditure incurred in running the camps would be added to the election expenditure and initiate steps to disqualify the members if it is found exceeding the limits.
Election commission issued these instructions following the complaints from YSR Congress against TDP’s attempts to buy it MPTC members with money in Prakasham and Nellore districts. YSRC alleged that TDP was buying the MPTCs by offering upto Rs 3 lakh per vote in the on going Legislative Council election. The polling is scheduled on July 3, 2015
YSR Congress alleged that the TDP was continuing its dubious policy of fielding candidates in MLC elections where it does not have required strength with the hope that it could buy the votes with money.
The party also alleged that the TDP had been misusing official machinery besides blatantly displaying its money power even after getting in to soup in Telangana region.
“As a matter of principle, we have fielded candidates only in Prakasam and Kurnool districts where we have strength. But TDP also entered the fray knowing fully well that it does not have sufficient numbers which shows that it is up to replaying the same script that backfired as cash-for-vote scam in Telangana,” party senior leader Botsa Satyanarayana said on Thursday.
He said the TDP was trying to misuse official machinery to manipulate the numbers and the officials should act should not become party to it.
During the day, a delegation of YSRC comprising Balineni Srinivasulu Reddy, YV Subbareddy, Adimulam Suresh etc lodged a complaint with state chief election officer Banwalal. They said TDP offered to pay upto Rs 3 lakh to the YSRC members to crossvote for TDP candidate in Prakasham MLC elections.
Stating that TDP MLC candidate Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy was luring MPTCs with money the delegation urged Election Commission to disqualify Reddy from the contest.
