The YSR Congress party has demanded Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to immediately convene the Assembly session to discuss public issues with special focus on acute power crisis that has been crippling various sections of the society.
“Our efforts to meet the Chief Minister have failed as his priorities are different and are far away from people’s problems. With agriculture, industrial, commercial and domestic consumers undergoing severe hardships and the governance showing no inclination to solve the pressing issues, we demand that the assembly should be convened to have a discussion on all issues of public importance,” YSRCLP Deputy leader B Sobha Nagi Reddy, MLAs G Srikanth Reddy and K Srinivasulu told reporters here on Tuesday.
Since the Government is indifferent towards the severe power crisis and is adamant to initiate efforts to bring additional power from other sources and the Chief Minister had no time to meet our MLAs, the only way to project the issue is to have a thorough discussion on the power situation on floor of the House, they said.
The agitation against power cuts has gone beyond political nuances with people voluntarily taking part in dharnas and other forms of agitations, they said and sought full support from all sections of people for the August 31 State-wide bandh call given by the Party. The bandh is a form of protest to take the issue to the Centre, as the Congress government has failed to get the needed power despite having over 30 MPs even as the neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka could get more than their due share, they said.
The power crisis is not altogether due to natural causes. Scanty rainfall led to dip in hydel power generation, but gas-based power plants are not getting their due gas and coal mining has reached stagnation affecting thermal power generation, they said. “These are the circumstances under which we have called for a bandh on August 31 besides demanding a purposeful discussion with Assembly as the main plank,” they said adding that even during YSR term, similar crisis arose but he handled the situation with maturity and efficiency as he had foresight which the present Government lacks.
The TDP, which has increased power charges 12 times during N Chandrababu Naidu’s 9-year term, has lost people’s confidence and its antics of sit-in at CM’s Conference hall in Secretariat on the eve of the 12th anniversary of Basheerbagh firing will cut no ice, they said.
About TDP’s remarks on NDTV poll survey giving YSRCP 21 seats if the Centre goes for snap polls, they said people have already given their verdict in the recent times. During the 40 by-polls after the death of YSR, TDP did not win a single seat but lost deposit in many. “As far as the survey is concerned, it is the opinion of the channel while we have our own reading which gives us 35 seats and our leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy categorically said that YSRCP will pay a key role at the Centre in the next term, “they said. (INN)