YSRCP denies supporting Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament

Amaravati, April 4 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh's YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Friday denied that it supported the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament.

YSRCP Parliamentary Party leader Y.V. Subba Reddy has challenged the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to provide evidence to prove its allegation that the YSRCP did not oppose the Bill.

The YSRCP on Friday issued a statement affirming that it issued a whip directing its MP to vote against the Waqf legislation.

The recorded proceedings of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha serve as clear evidence of their opposition to the legislation. Additionally, the speech delivered by YSRCP MP Subba Reddy in the Rajya Sabha stands as further direct proof of their stance, reads the statement.

Subba Reddy challenged the TDP to provide evidence proving that the YSRCP did not oppose the bill. He questioned their ability to back up their claims, asserting that they lack the courage to do so. He further accused them of habitually engaging in politics based on fake news.

The YSRCP made public the whip issued to Rajya Sabha members, directing them to be present in the house at the time of the voting and vote against the bill.

Headed by former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has four members in the Lok Sabha and seven in the Rajya Sabha.

Meanwhile, YSRCP leader and former minister Merugu Nagarjuna has slammed the TDP for supporting the ‘unconstitutional’ Waqf (Amendment) Bill. He said that Chief Minister and TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu has enraged the minorities.

Nagarjuna accused Naidu of using diversionary politics to deflect scrutiny. He said the TDP leadership was spreading false claims that the YSRCP didn’t issue a Rajya Sabha whip and backed the bill.

Displaying the whip, Nagarjuna said YSRCP’s opposition, led by Subba Reddy, was clear in Parliament. He accused Naidu of betraying minorities after using them as a vote bank.

Nagarjuna slammed Naidu’s “yellow gang” for venomous social media propaganda, citing his history of lies: from the betrayal of NTR to inflated debt figures (Rs 14 lakh crore pre-election, now Rs 10 lakh crore, against the Centre’s Rs 5.62 lakh crore).

Affirming the YSRCP’s support for minorities, he said Naidu’s attempts to tarnish Jagan Mohan Reddy would fail, predicting that public backlash would teach Naidu a lesson.

--IANS

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