The Andhra Pradesh high court on Wednesday heard the petition filed by YSR Congress party president and former chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking a direction to assembly speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu to grant him the status of Leader of Opposition.
The court issued notices to the speaker, state legislative affairs minister Payyavula Keshav, and assembly secretary general Suryadevara Prasanna Kumar, who were named as respondents.
The court also clubbed Jagan’s earlier petition with the present one and adjourned the hearing to October 4.
Earlier, Ayyanna Patrudu had ruled that the assembly cannot grant an main opposition status that the people themselves had not given to the YSRCP. He maintained that neither the Constitution nor assembly rules allow it.
In protest, Jagan has boycotted the assembly sessions, and YSRCP MLAs have followed suit. They have been staying away from the session since the beginning.
Despite appeals from the speaker and ministers, the YSRCP legislators are refusing to participate. Even in the ongoing monsoon session, they have remained absent.
Deputy Speaker Raghu Ramakrishna Raju has even warned of possible disqualification if members continue to abstain.
Nevertheless, the YSRCP appears to be waiting for the high court’s decision and the government’s next move.
