By Md Ilyas

Copyright deccanchronicle

Vijayawada: The monsoon session of Andhra Pradesh Legislature will begin in Amaravati on Thursday. While proceedings of the Legislative Assembly will commence at 9 a.m., the Legislative Council will start its session at 10 a.m.AP Legislative Assembly Speaker Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu convened a high-level review meeting ahead of the session. Chief secretary K. Vijayanand, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta and top officials attended the meeting. Given the likelihood of the assembly and council sessions lasting about a week or two, the Speaker has instructed the DGP to ensure that necessary security arrangements are put in place. The actual duration of the assembly session will be decided by the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) after completion of the question hour on Wednesday. YSRC MLAs are unlikely to attend the sessions of both the assembly and council, as their demand for recognising YSRC officially as the opposition party in the assembly has not been fulfilled yet. Significantly, Speaker Ayyanna Patrudu has emphasised that attendance of all MLAs is mandatory. He has warned that salaries of those absent will be cut. The Speaker’s insistence on full attendance has made the expected turnout of members for tomorrow’s assembly and council sessions a hot topic. “I want all the MLAs to come to the assembly. This is an opportunity to solve the problems of their areas. I am not asking for individual respect. It is the responsibility of YSRC MLAs to respect the position of the Speaker. It is not good for the YSRC MLAs to miss the assembly session,” the Speaker has maintained. Ruling coalition leaders have made it a point to invite former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to attend the assembly session, even while making it clear that the ex-CM will not be officially recognised as the Leader of Opposition. Ever since the N. Chandrababu Naidu government has taken charge, Jagan has not attended even a single assembly session. As per rules, in case Jagan continues to stay away, he risks losing his assembly membership. The final decision in this regard lies with the assembly Speaker. Deputy Speaker Raghurama Raju has, however, warned that if Jagan Mohan Reddy does not attend the assembly session, by-elections in Pulivendula could become unavoidable. The former chief minister has not budged from his statement that he will not attend the assembly session till he is not recognised as the primary opposition leader. Naidu has also asked Jagan Mohan Reddy and his MLAs to attend the assembly’s monsoon session and take part in discussions on welfare and development. Key ordinances are expected to be placed in the assembly and council for approval during the monsoon session, including amendments to the Panchayat Raj and Municipal acts. Additionally, ordinances related to Nala Act amendments, scheduled castes and India International University are expected to be put before the two houses. The AP cabinet, in its meeting on Thursday, is expected to approve certain bills for introduction in the assembly and council during the monsoon session.