Minister Parthasarathy slams Jagan for Assembly absence

Andhra Pradesh Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy took a sharp stance against YSR Congress Party (YCP) MLAs for their absence in the state Assembly, specifically targeting former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Parthasarathy questioned whether Jagan and the YCP legislators intended to attend the Assembly merely to gain formal opposition status, asserting that Jagan seemed indifferent to the issues facing the state.

Minister Parthasarathy stated that Jagan’s recent claim, that he would only attend if given opposition status, was unfounded, as the Speaker would ensure him a chance to speak regardless. He criticized Jagan’s stance as undemocratic, arguing that securing 40% of the vote was insufficient to automatically grant him opposition status, which, according to parliamentary rules, depends on the actual number of seats won.

The minister also claimed Jagan was more focused on power than serving the state’s interests and challenged him to address issues openly in the Assembly, rather than from outside.

Joining the criticism, TDP MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar argued that the public had not granted Jagan moral authority to oppose the government. He noted that while YSRCP had gained 40 per cent of the vote, the Assembly’s composition was determined by the number of seats won, indicating that the people had not empowered Jagan’s party as the opposition.