AP Govt indicates it may abolish Upper House of Legislature

A day after the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council referred to a select committee two Bills for creating three state capitals, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday dropped clear hints that the Upper House of the state legislature could be abolished.

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh): After it suffered humiliation by not getting two crucial bills on its plan of having three capitals passed by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government on Thursday indicated it may abolish the Upper House of the Legislature.

"Pained" over Wednesday's developments in the Council, he told the State Assembly that there is a need to decide whether to continue such a House by spending huge public money.

The Assembly may decide the fate of the Council on January 27, when the Assembly will meet again. Speaker T Seetharam agreed to the Chief Minister's suggestion for a day-long discussion on the issue.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government's move came a day after it suffered a major setback with Council Chairman Mohammed Ahmed Shariff accepting the opposition Telugu Desam Party's (TDP) demand to refer the two Bills to a select committee.

Now let us have a look at a brief history of Legislative council in Andhra Pradesh

• The Erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council was first constituted on 1st July, 1958 with 90 Members and was inaugurated by the then President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad on 7th July 1958, in the Jubilee Hall, Public Gardens, Hyderabad.
• Sri Gottipati Brahmayya was appointed as the temporary Chairman.
• Sri Madapati Hanumantha Rao was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Council on the 7th July, 1958.

Article 169: Power to create or abolish Council in any state rests with Parliament

2/3rds majority required in Assembly for a resolution recommending abolishment/creation of the Council Parliament will have to then pass a bill abolishing the Council.

NTR Abolishing the Legislative council of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh

• On March 24, 1983, the legislative assembly of undivided AP decided by a 210 to 1 majority to abolish the council.
• The key issue was that the upper house the 90 Member council in Andhra Pradesh was dominated by congress (I), with TDP having only six members.
• NTR argued that the abolition was an austerity measure, the centre interpreted it as an effort to whittle away its strength and had not acted on the resolution.
• With the then Indira government not acting on the Assembly resolution, the NTR government moved the apex court against the inaction of the central government.
• After two years, on 30 April 1985, the assembly once again passed a resolution to abolish the council.
• This time, the Congress government under Rajiv Gandhi passed the bill in Parliament on May 24, 1985.
• Evidently softened by the trauma of events of August -September 1984 and perhaps as a conciliatory gesture to NTR, and certainly confirming the democratic norm of bowing to the people will in the state, the Parliament this time passed a bull confirming the abolition of the council on 24th May 1985.

Initiatives to revive the council

• In 1990, the then Congress government made an attempt for the revival of the council but in vain.
• On 22nd January 1990, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed a resolution for the revival of the Council.
• The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill reviving the State Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh on 28th May 1990 and sent it to the Lok Sabha but could not be considered by the Lok Sabha.
• The Congress again promised revival of the council in its manifesto for 2004 assembly polls. After snatching power from the Telugu Desam, Congress made fresh efforts to revive the council.

The revival of Legislative council under congress government led by YSR

• On 8th July 2004, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly adopted another resolution for the revival of the Legislative Council. Consequently, the Andhra Pradesh Council Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on 16th December 2004 and sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee.
• The Bill was passed in Lok Sabha on 15th December 2005, in Rajya Saba on 20th December 2005 and received Presidential Assent on 10th January 2006.
• The Andhra Pradesh legislative council was reconstituted on 30th March 2007 after a gap of 22 years.
• The present Strength of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative council is 58.
• The Legislative Council is a permanent legislative body. 1/3 of its Members shall retire every 2 years.