Pawan Kalyan Denies Opposition Status to YSRCP
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Synopsis
Pawan Kalyan, Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, has firmly stated that the YSR Congress Party will not receive opposition party status for the next five years, emphasizing that such recognition is determined by the electorate.
Key Takeaways
- Pawan Kalyan denies YSRCP opposition status.
- YSR Congress Party will lack opposition status for five years.
- Opposition status is granted by the electorate, not by demand.
- Jana Sena holds 21 seats, while YSRCP has 11.
- Political protests reflect declining standards.
Amaravati, Feb 24 (NationPress) The Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kalyan, announced on Monday that the YSR Congress Party would not be granted the status of an opposition party.
He emphasized that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) will remain without opposition status for the next five years.
In a press conference following Governor S. Abdul Nazeer’s address to the joint session of both legislative houses at the start of the Budget session, Pawan Kalyan commented on the YSRCP’s protests during the Governor’s speech, where they demanded that their leader and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy be recognized as the Leader of the Opposition. He stated that such a title is awarded by the people and cannot be obtained through mere demands.
The leader of Jana Sena mentioned that typically, the party with the second highest number of seats is awarded opposition party status, and pointed out that his party is currently the second largest in the Assembly. He noted, "If the YSRCP had secured one more seat than us, they would have received the opposition status."
The Jana Sena, part of the coalition government led by the TDP, holds 21 seats in the 175-member Assembly, while the YSRCP secured only 11.
Pawan Kalyan urged the YSRCP to conduct themselves with dignity, stating that it was inappropriate for them to threaten to disrupt proceedings due to the lack of opposition status. He encouraged them to enter the Assembly with their 11 seats, advocate for the public’s issues, and highlight the government’s shortcomings. He assured that the Speaker would allocate time based on the party's representation.
Regarding the YSRCP's attempts to interrupt the Governor's address with slogans, he remarked that this demonstrated their declining standards.
The Deputy Chief Minister clarified that the refusal to grant opposition status was not intended as an insult, but rather was based on established rules.
In response to the YSRCP's claim that it received nearly 40 percent of the votes and thus deserved opposition status, he quipped that those who focus on vote percentages should consider going to Germany.
Following the protest during the Governor's address, Jagan Mohan Reddy and other YSRCP legislators staged a walk-out in demand of their recognition as the main opposition.
