The Hindu : Congress leaders join issue with Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Congress leaders join issue with Minister

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JAN. 20. The chief spokesperson of the APCC, K. Rosaiah, and his deputy, G. Muddukrishnama Naidu, have joined issue with the Finance Minister, Y. Ramakrushnudu, over the rights of the caretaker Government.

Talking to presspersons here on Tuesday, the Congress leaders said that past precedents and conventions of the Legislative bodies sufficiently point to the need for imposition of President's Rule in the State to give effect to the vote on account bill. The claim of the Finance Minister that the caretaker Government could bring about an ordinance to do so was misleading, they said.

The Chief Minister should, at least emulate the NDA, which was seeking to convene the House to put such a bill to vote before seeking its dissolution.

The Chief Minister should at least learn from the BJP, which had decided to convene the Lok Sabha to do so instead of bending the rules. The Chief Minister had established long ago that he never bothered to adhere to healthy governance practices, they added.

Questioning the motive behind the Telugu Desam's argument in favour of an ordinance, they wondered why the ruling party was afraid of the President's Rule.

Refuting the charge that their demand was politically-motivated, they asked which one - remaining in power unethically on the strength of technicalities or seeking a logical end to the Constitutional process - was a politically- motivated move.

The contention that there was no political crisis in the State was ridiculous as there could be no greater scale to indicate it than the AP situation where the ruling party had categorically claimed that it was unable to govern the State and hence, had sought a dissolution.

Under the circumstances, whether it would be appropriate for the caretaker to go to the Governor seeking an assent to the ordinance, an act being shunned by the ruling party at the Centre (in not trying to prolong its life by going to the President), they asked.

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Andhra Pradesh