Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu on Thursday said the House would have real “masala” (spice) only when all members attend and participate in its proceedings, stressing that legislators must be present to raise and resolve public issues. Speaking during a media chit-chat in his chamber, the Speaker said MLAs are elected by the people to address their problems and therefore should not remain absent from the Assembly, the primary forum for discussing and resolving public grievances. Referring to the Opposition YSRC, he pointed out that, except for its chief, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the remaining MLAs were drawing their salaries. Ayyanna Patrudu said the appropriate time would come to issue notices to YSRC members if required. On the issue of disqualification of MLAs, the Speaker said if such action succeeds in Andhra Pradesh, it could set a precedent across the country. He also challenged those claiming that attending the House on the day of the Governor’s address should be treated as attendance. “Those who call themselves ‘number one students’ should show where such a rule exists,” he remarked, clarifying that presence at the Governor’s address day alone cannot be considered attendance. He questioned what such “baseless arguments” should be called. Ayyanna Patrudu said former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was receiving all the respect and protocol due to him as a former chief minister. Recalling earlier political culture, he said the former chief minister late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy maintained cordial relations with legislators across party lines. He shared an incident from Visakhapatnam when Rajasekhar Reddy, as chief minister, inaugurating a studio, invited him to the stage despite his being an opposition MLA and even reprimanded the district collector for not following protocol. The Speaker lamented that earlier, ruling and opposition members would debate fiercely in the House but remain friendly outside, a culture that is now fading. He added that the Legislative Council was once regarded as a “House of Elders” with mature thinkers, but recent trends suggested otherwise.
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