NELLORE: Telugu Desam (TD) Nellore Parliamentary general secretary Chajjerla Venkateswara Reddy on Sunday said that opposition status in the Assembly cannot be demanded but must be earned through the people’s mandate.
Addressing a press conference at the TD office in Kovur, he criticised Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for reportedly stating that he would attend the Assembly only if granted opposition status.
Chajjerla pointed out that in the 175-member Assembly, a party must have at least 10 per cent strength — 18 MLAs — to qualify for Leader of the Opposition status, as per established norms.
Referring to past precedents, he said parties with limited numbers had actively participated in legislative proceedings and raised public issues without boycotting the House. He cited leaders such as Puchalapalli Sundarayya, Jaipal Reddy, M. Venkaiah Naidu, Chandra Rajeshwara Rao and Narra Raghava Reddy as examples of effective opposition voices without formal status.
He also alleged that after the 2019 elections, when the TD secured 23 seats and N. Chandrababu Naidu became Leader of the Opposition, efforts were made to weaken the party through defections.
Chajjerla urged Jagan Mohan Reddy to respect the people’s verdict and attend the Assembly to raise public issues instead of insisting on official opposition recognition.
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