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Andhra row: Privilege breach complaint lodged against SEC

Ministers write to Assembly Speaker, allege breach of privilege, intimidation

Andhra row: Privilege breach complaint lodged against SEC

YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (Photo: IANS)

YSRCP ministers retaliated against Andhra Pradesh state election commissioner by writing to the Assembly Speaker alleging breach of privilege and intimidation a day after he complained to governor Biswabhushan Harichandan against the ministers and ruling party MPs for launching verbal attacks against him.

Two ministers, P Ramachandra Reddy and Botsa Satynarayana wrote to Assembly Speaker T Sitaram after they were named in the letter to the governor by N Ramesh Kumar along with Rajya Sabha MP Vijaya Sai Reddy.

The fight between the SEC and the YSRCP government has turned ugly with both sides making accusations and counter accusations and even leading to Constitutional crisis.

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The state government which had attempted to scuttle the gram Panchayat polls finally relented following the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Even Ramesh Kumar has failed to transfer his name in the voter list from Hyderabad to his native village in Guntur after the local tehsildar rejected his application and might have to move court to get his name included in the electoral rolls.

In his letter to the Speaker Ramchandra Reddy, Panchayat minister wrote: “Dr Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, the state election commissioner has made several castigating remarks which are libellous in nature and far from truth. The tone and tenor of the letter is intimidating.”

He accused the SEC of defaming him in the public eye and urged: “ Being the Presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly you are custodian of the rights and privileges of the Members of the House. I am therefore appealing to your good self to take necessary action into the contents of the letter allegedly written by Dr Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, the State Election Commissioner.”

The municipal administration minister Botsa Satyanarayana has also approached the Assembly Speaker with a similar complaint.

Meanwhile, the TDP has also approached the governor complaining against YSRCP ministers who are “directly threatening and belittling the Constitutional Authority and gross violation of Constitutional principles.”

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