Bills on capital city deemed to be passed?

If YSR Congress party government has its way, the two crucial bills to decide the state capitals will soon become Acts and the shifting of administrative capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam will start in the right earnest.

The two bills – AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020 and the APCRDA (Repeal) Bill, which were passed by the state assembly would be sent to Governor Bishwa Bhushan Harichandan shortly, as the government is of the view that the bill are deemed to have been passed.

The two bills, which were sent to the state legislative council for discussion, were stalled in the council and referred to the select committee by legislative council chairman on January 22, but the committees have not been formed within the mandatory period of 14 days. 

So, the select committees cannot be formed as per the rules, argued deputy chief minister and MLC Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose.

“The committee are no more valid,” he pointed out.

Bose said the council chairman had gone against the rules of the House in the name of discretionary powers and sent the Bill to the Select Committee on his own.

“The TDP members are making false accusations on the government that we are influencing Assembly Secretary to rule out the Select Committee but we need not influence anyone going against the rules,” he said.

He alleged that it was TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, who had gone against the rules and influenced the Council Chairman to use the discretionary powers. In the Council, if there is anyone who went against the rules then it is TDP members, he said.

Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Ummareddy Venkateshwarulu said that the TDP members had intentionally committed the mistake and gone against the House rules.

"Instead of sending queries or objections on the bill immediately, they listed them all at the end of the day and referred to the Select Committee. Right before the announcement, Chairman of the House agreed that he is doing the mistake. As per the rules, rule 154 is not applicable after Chairman himself agreed with the mistake,” he pointed out.