VIJAYAWADA: Taking exception to the remarks made against the judiciary by YSRC Parliamentary Party leader V Vijayasai Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, TDP MPs alleged that the YSRC was misusing Parliament as a platform to blackmail courts and frighten judges. They said they would take the issue to the notice of the Rajya Sabha Chairman and courts.
“Vijayasai Reddy misused Parliament to make false allegations on the AP High Court, crossing his limits. Though I raised objection to his remarks on the floor of the House and the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman gave repeated instructions to the YSRC leader to speak on the subject, the YSRC MP continued his remarks against the judiciary,” TDP Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said.
It is highly unobjectionable to raise an issue, which is in no way connected to the topic of discussion in the House. The debate was going on COVID-19 and the MP, while hailing the YSRC government’s efforts in controlling the spread of the virus, started making false allegations against the AP High Court, he said.
Speaking to the media in Delhi, Kanakamedala said that the TDP condemns the acts of the YSRC leaders using Parliament as a platform and a protection shield to dishonour courts. Attempts to weaken the judiciary should not be tolerated. By making Parliament as the venue for their malafide intentions to threaten judges, Vijayasai Reddy has lost the right to continue as the member of the House, he argued.
TDP Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said that it was not the first time the courts were issuing gag orders to the media. After hearing a petition filed by the YSRC, the court had directed the media not to publish the details of investigation and barred politicians from speaking on the murder case of former MP YS Vivekanada Reddy, uncle of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, he recalled. Similarly, the news channels were directed to stop broadcasting the news related to the allegations against ND Tiwari, the then Governor of the combined Andhra Pradesh, he said and pointed out that the YSRC government itself issued orders gagging the media. TDP Lok Sabha MP K Rammohan Naidu said it was all a plan of the YSRC to blackmail courts and terrify judges.
Ridiculing the allegations of YSRC leaders that TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu was managing the judiciary, he reminded that when Naidu was the Chief Minister, the YSRC leaders approached courts and got favourable verdicts.