The YSR Congress chief urged the Election Commission to strip the Assembly Speaker of his discretionary powers to disqualify defecting legislators
Launching a scathing attack on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for "violating constitutional norms" by encouraging defections, YSR Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today urged the Election Commission of India to strip the Assembly Speaker of his discretionary powers to disqualify defecting legislators, and to take the serious measures against such defectors.
Reddy, who called on the CEO Naddem Zaidi in New Delhi on Thursday, urged steps against defections, and sought steps to take powers back from the Assembly Speaker.
Talking to mediapersons later, he said that he had brought to the notice of the EC Naidu's misdeeds and corruption, and his spending crores to buy MLAs from the YSR Congress.
"I urged the EC to propose to the Centre constitutional amendments to repeal certain powers from the Speaker and prevent democracy from being sold," he said.
"I have also exposed at the national level Naidu's corruption and his violating constitutional norms, and will fight in the court for speedy justice," he added.
Reddy's approaching the EC assumes significance at a time when his Party legislators are making a beeline for the ruling TDP.
Reddy also sought that the EC conduct elections at the same time in Hyderabad and in Andhra Pradesh to avoid surplus voting and duplication. Elections conducted for the two Telugu States on different dates were leading to "duplication and replication", he said.
He also said that he had also urged the EC to deny permission to any political Party to contest the next elections if it failed to implement at least 10 promises made in its manifesto. He criticized Naidu for "failing to keep his promises". Naidu had dumped the people and their problems, Reddy alleged - he did not offer jobs, and failed to waive crop loans and loans to DWCRA women, he said. He called upon the YSRCP leaders and activists to raise their voices for the people and try to bring changes in the system and win the hearts of the people for justice.
He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had denied him an appointment to discuss this issue, perhaps since the TDP was an ally of the BJP at the national level. However, the YSRCP would still send him the details through post, he maintained.
Through its "Save Democracy" fight his Party could bring to the notice of the nation the corruption in the AP government, Reddy said, and expressed hope that justice may be delayed but would not be denied.