Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu on Wednesday rejected the demand of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for granting him the Leader of Opposition status in the Assembly.
In a four-page ruling which he read out in the House, the speaker described Jagan’s demand as unreasonable and as such, there was no question of granting the Leader of Opposition status to him since the YSRCP doesn’t have the required number of MLAs to be granted the status.
Quoting former chief minister NT Rama Rao, the speaker said in a democracy people are Gods and the legislative assembly is a temple. “As the speaker, my role is akin to that of a priest in this temple of democracy. It is the will of the people, the Gods, that ultimately prevails. A priest cannot grant a wish that the Gods themselves have declined to fulfil. What has been declined by the people cannot be granted by the speaker,” he said.
Patrudu recalled that on June 24, 2024 Jagan had submitted a representation seeking Leader of Opposition status to him. “In the letter, Jagan made accusations, speculative assertions, threats, and fallacious arguments. Later, he approached the state high court seeking a direction to the secretary to the state legislative assembly and the secretary to the speaker to designate him as the leader of the opposition,” he said.
The speaker said he had taken a conscious decision to await the outcome of the legal proceedings sought to be initiated by Jagan as the high court was in the process of examining the very admissibility of his writ petition. He refuted the reports appearing in a section of media that the HC had issued summons to the speaker and given directions to the speaker to pass orders.
“This is malicious and vitriolic campaign by Jagan. The high court has not yet admitted Jagan’s petition till date. How can it summon the speaker?” he asked.
Quoting the relevant provisions from the Andhra Pradesh Payment of Salaries and Pension and Removal of Disqualifications Act, 1953, Patrudu said the decision to recognise the leader of the opposition was the sole discretion of the speaker; it is absolute and “shall be final and conclusive.”
He also pointed out to the “direction” issued by GV Mavalankar, the first speaker of the Lok Sabha, while exercising this discretion, which said the LOP shall have at least a strength equal to the quorum fixed to constitute a sitting of the House, that is one-tenth of the total number of members of the House.
Ayyanna said in the 5th and 10th Andhra Pradesh legislative assemblies, no member could be recognised as the Leader of Opposition since no party in opposition secured seats equal to or more than 10% of the total strength of the House. “Even in 16th and 17th Lok Sabhas, there was no LOP,” he said.
He recalled that in Telangana assembly too, the Congress was granted the LOP status in January, 2019; but a few months later, in June 2019, upon the speaker’s determination that the membership of the said party had fallen below 10% of the total strength of the assembly, the recognition of the LOP was duly withdrawn.
Ayyanna described as lies the argument of Jagan that P Janardhan Reddy was recognised as LOP in 1994 though his party did not have 10% strength; and so was P Upendra in eighth Lok Sabha. “They were recognised as floor leader of the Congress and TDP respectively, not as LOPs,” he said.
He pointed out a statement made by Jagan in June 2019 in the assembly that the TDP would lose LOP status, if five of its members defect to the ruling party. “Such demonstration of selective amnesia does not reflect well on the high offices of chief minister and the LOP that he had held,” he said.
The speaker warned that Jagan’s statements attributing motives to the Chair amount to breach of privilege and contempt of the House. “I have decided to treat his diatribe with the contempt it deserves. I am not sure if the House would tolerate any further recurrence of such deplorable conduct,” he said.
He appealed to the YSRCP members to attend the assembly sessions. “Your absence from the House will only deprive your voters the opportunity to raise their concerns in the House through you,” he said.
Reacting to the speaker’s ruling, Jagan reiterated that YSRCP was the only opposition in the assembly and he, being its leader, would automatically have to be acknowledged as the leader of the opposition.
“There are only two sides in the assembly – the coalition of the TDP, Jana Sena Party and the BJP on the ruling side and the YSRCP on the opposition site. So, ours is the only opposition and its leaders will automatically be treated as leader of opposition,” he argued.
He pointed out that when Aam Admi Party was in power in Delhi, the BJP which had only three out of 70 MLAs, was given the Opposition status. “So, irrespective of the number of MLAs our party has in AP assembly, we have to be given the opposition status,” he said.
