VIJAYAWADA: The Budget session of the State legislature which begins on Monday is likely to generate much heat with the ruling YSRC and Opposition TDP all geared up to dominate the other side. Though TDP chief and Opposition Leader N Chandrababu Naidu decided not to attend the session as he vowed in the last session that he would step into the Assembly “only as the Chief Minister”, his party MLAs and MLCs would attend the session.
Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan will address the joint session of Legislative Assembly and Council at 11 am on Monday. The Governor will be addressing the joint session physically for the first time, as in the earlier two occasions he addressed the joint session in virtual mode from the Raj Bhavan, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. RP Sisodia, Special Chief Secretary to the Governor, visited the Assembly and reviewed the arrangements for the joint session with Balakrishnamacharyulu, Secretary of AP Legislature.
The Business Advisory Committee will meet after the Governor’s address and decide on the duration of the session with indications that it may be conducted for at least 10-15 days. On March 8, the Legislature will pay homage to Mekapati Goutham Reddy, who died of cardiac arrest while serving as the Industries Minister last month. The session is likely to witness some heated discussions as the ruling YSRC is likely to initiate a debate on the ‘powers of the legislature’ in the wake of the recent High Court judgment which stated that the State legislature lacks competence to make legislation on the State capital. Government Whip G Srikanth Reddy had already hinted at the same. Sources said the YSRC government’s stand on decentralised development will also be a part of the Governor’s address.
While the YSRC would be banking on issues like decentralised development and its welfare schemes, the TDP has given notices to raise issues like Special Category Status to AP, progress of Polavaram project, filling of vacancies in government jobs, procurement of paddy, casino and gambling in Gudivada (in which the name of civil supplies minister Kodali Sri Venkateswara Rao cropped up), ‘illegal transportation’ of PDS rice and others. Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath will present the State Budget on March 11.
Tight security for session
A tight security blanket with 3,000 policemen including those from Greyhounds and Andhra Pradesh P Special Police has been thrown around AP State legislature at Velagapudi for the smooth conduct of the Budget session. Guntur Rural Superintendent of Police P Vishal Gunni, who reviewed the security arrangements, asked officials to ensure that the police personnel on duty posted at the VIP and VVIP movement area behave politely. Anti-Sabotage Check and Bomb Disposal teams should sanitise both side of the roads on which the VIPs travel, he said.