Hyderabad: The ruling Congress in Andhra
Pradesh on Wednesday expressed confidence that there was no threat to
the state government from no-confidence motion, which the main
opposition Telugu Desam has proposed to table in the assembly
session beginning tomorrow.
"They (TDP) have the right to move the no-confidence
motion. A debate is necessary on farmers' problems. We can
discuss how TDP neglected agriculture during its rule and what
we have been doing. We are giving free power, announced a loan
waiver, NREGS, etc. They don't have the numbers (for the
motion to succeed)," state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana
said here.
Asked if the Congress MLAs loyal to Kadapa MP, YS Jagan
Mohan Reddy, were in touch with him, he pointed out that one
of them announced only today that he would support Congress.
Referring to several Jagan-loyalist Congress MLAs and
indicating that they would support Congress on no-confidence
motion, he made it clear that those who visited Congress party
office and supported the leadership of Sonia Gandhi would be
recognised as Congress MLAs.
The no-confidence motion might not pose a danger to the
government, going by strengths on paper in the 294-member
house (effective strength 287 following the resignation of six
MLAs and death of another). Congress has support of around
170. However, which way the party MLAs would tilt in the
actual vote is a question, as more than 20 legislators who are
supposedly in Jagan's camp are sitting on the fence.
They have stated inclination to return to Congress and
ensure that the government does not fall.
Merger of the 17-member Praja Rajyam Party and outside
support of the seven-member Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM)
has bolstered Congress' position.
On the other hand, TRS, which has 12 MLAs, has vowed to
support the no-trust motion.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 23:15