Following the recent cabinet reshuffle in Andhra Pradesh, Opposition Leader and YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy has requested Governor ESL Narasimhan to take action against the four defected MLAs of the party, who were inducted into the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet.
On Monday, Jagan submitted a letter to the Governor at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad, seeking immediate action on the issue.
The four new ministers, Sujaya Krishna Ranga Rao from Bobbili, C Adinarayana Reddy from Jammalamadugu, N Amaranath Reddy from Palamaner and Bhuma Akhila Priya from Allagadda, are all YSRC MLAs and later defected to the Telugu Desam Party.
He was quoted in The New Indian Express as saying that under the 10th schedule of Constitution of India, a petition requesting the disqualification of 21 MLAs who defected to the TDP was submitted to the Assembly Speaker a year ago.
However, no action has been taken, even after several reminders to Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, he said in the letter.
Jagan said the induction of defected MLAs amounted to a mockery of the Constitution and democracy.
He also reportedly pointed out that the 21 defected MLAs were included in the list of 66 YSRC MLAs while announcing the strength of political parties during the recent budget session of AP Legislative Assembly.
Meanwhile the same was also published on the AP Legislature’s website updated on March 31.
In the letter, he has requested the Governor to sack them or insist upon the resignation of the four MLAs who had defected to TDP.
“We asked the Governor about the rationale behind providing Cabinet berths to members who won on behalf of other political parties rather than disqualifying them. The institution of the Governor had been established to ensure that such lapses did not occur and we wanted the Governor to initiate action in accordance with the provisions in force,” he was quoted in The Hindu.
He also recalled how N Chandrababu Naidu had earlier criticized TRS government in Telangana for inducting TDP MLA Talasani Srinivas Yadav into the Cabinet in December 2014.
At that time, he had demanded that the defected MLAs in Telangana should quit and seek re-election.