Former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy recently visited Narsipatnam to inspect the Medical College under construction. Earlier, Speaker Ayyannapatrudu said there was no need to discuss the college since the previous government never issued a G.O. for it.
To counter that, Jagan visited the site. Among the many incomplete buildings, the YSR Congress chose the one that looked closer to completion for him to inspect.
During his visit, Jagan spoke to the media and accused the Government and the Speaker of misleading the public. Interestingly, he avoided mentioning Speaker Ayyannapatrudu’s name directly.
Jagan is currently fighting to be recognised as the Opposition Leader. He has taken the legal route, and the Speaker must file an affidavit in the High Court regarding the issue. At the same time, Jagan continues to challenge the Speaker through his political remarks.
The Assembly rules are clear a party needs at least eighteen MLAs to qualify as the Opposition Party. YSR Congress has only eleven. This could explain Jagan’s anger towards the Speaker. Many believe Jagan does not even want to attend the Assembly sessions. Facing the House with just ten MLAs may feel uncomfortable, and he might fear ridicule from the ruling benches.
His push for “Opposition Leader” status might simply be a way to avoid attending the House for the rest of the term. Jagan also shares a bitter history with both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, who were arrested during his tenure. He likely wants to avoid direct confrontation with them.
Meanwhile, an RTI reply from the Central Government confirmed that only the medical colleges at Piduguralla, Paderu, and Machilipatnam were approved. Colleges at Eluru, Vizianagaram, Markapuram, and Pulivendula were not.
There was no application for Narsipatnam Medical College at all, confirming the Speaker’s claim that no G.O. existed under Jagan’s government.
