Opposition YSRC today issued a whip to all its MLAs to be present in the House for discussion of the Appropriation Bill in the coming week.
The development comes a week after the lone opposition was outwitted by the ruling Telugu Desam Party on two motions of no-confidence it moved against the Chandrababu Naidu government and Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao.
In a bid to get eight of its MLAs who jumped over to the TDP disqualified, the YSRC today issued a one-line whip to all its 67 members in the AP Assembly saying, "You are requested to be present in the Assembly on 29 and 30 March, 2016 to participate in the discussion on 'Appropriation Bill' and vote against the Bill."
The YSRC had moved a no-confidence motion in the Assembly on March 14 against the 21-month-old TDP government, followed by a similar motion against Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao on the 15th.
Both the motions were defeated in the 175-member House as the TDP enjoyed a clear majority with 102 members of its own, supported by four BJP and two others.
Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy openly admitted in the House that the purpose of moving the no-confidence motions was only to issue a whip to his party members with the ultimate objective of getting the eight MLAs who defected to the TDP disqualified.
The TDP astutely beat the YSRC in the game by allowing no time for the latter to at least issue a whip as the motions were immediately taken up for discussion in the House.
In fact, the House "suspended" the rule that required a no-confidence motion against the Speaker to be taken up only 14 days after serving notice and disposed it of in just four hours.
The TDP also ensured that the eight MLAs who crossed over stayed away from the House when the two motions were taken up.
Jagan thus could only lament that the ruling party was "making a mockery of democracy."
"You are not even allowing us scope to issue a whip to our members," he had said.
However, he got a whip issued to all YSRC MLAs today.
By issuing the whip a week ahead of the Appropriation Bill, the YSRC's aim is to fix the eight defectors. The party hopes the whip will enable them to build a legal case against the eight rebel MLAs.
