Kiran won the battle but lost majority

Hyderabad: The debate on the no-trust motion in the Assembly on Friday was listless and pedestrian. It was not expected to be a serious or decisive debate since the main Opposition party, TDP, was not interested in throwing the government out at this juncture.

The TDP and the MIM chose to remain neutral. It is perhaps for the first time in the annals of the State Legislative Assembly that a no-confidence motion was taken up based on notices given by two parties whose combined strength is just about one tenth of the total strength of the House. But both the parties that were responsible for the debate have scored their points.

The TRS could effectively restate its position and made a forceful demand for separate statehood. The YSCRP, on the other hand, had made its point that many MLAs from Congress and TDP are eager join the new party because of its popularity.

As many as nine Congress MLAs and six from TDP have taken the risk of being disqualified and threw their weight behind YSRCP. In the end as many as 58 members have voted in favour of the no confidence motion. This means the government has lost its majority, though it has defeated the motion.

The speeches by the members on the motion are full of half-truths and platitudes. The TDP members praised their leader Chandrababu Naidu to the sky saying that everything was fine during his nine-year rule.

The YSRCP was in the same mode since the party itself was founded based on the policies of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy. The incumbent Chief Minister also received uncritical adulation from Kannababu, the neo-convert who was elected on the PRP ticket in 2009 and now a member of the Congress.

In their anxiety to impress their leaders or their families, the members seemed to forget the purpose of the debate and their solemn responsibility to be seriously concerned with the problems of the people and possible solutions.

Speaker Nadendla Manohar has given additional opportunity to the TDP by allowing two members of the party to speak. Both the members had tried to compensate the loss that might accrue on account of the inexplicable attitude of the TDP in keeping neutral on the no-confidence motion.

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has made use of the motion to explain the policies and programmes pursued by his government. He highlighted the SC, ST Sub-Plan Act and welfare measures for the farmers such as interest-free loans. The one-rupee-a-kilo rice scheme was referred to.

He also reminded that the Congress party never thought of proposing a no-confidence motion while it was in opposition. Kiran's speech was laced with sarcasm and innuendos.

He ridiculed Naidu by addressing him as a 'walking friend' who did not care to attend the special session of the Assembly intended to pass the SC, ST Sub-Plan Act 2013.

Though the result of the vote on the motion was known even before the notices were given, the time consumed for the debate would have been justified had there been any new light thrown on any of the issues that are bothering the people.

Repetition of the same old charges, some of them baseless, mischievous and heard for the hundredth time, that were levelled against one another during the TV debates and media conferences all these years made the proceedings disgusting, to say the least. TDP president Chandrababu Naidu did not miss anything by continuing with his walking programme.

There were sparks at the outset when CM Kiran Kumar Reddy rashly exhibited his recently enhanced self-confidence by shouting at Harish Rao, TRS member, who indulged in a forgivable indiscretion.

In normal times the Chief Minister would not have objected to the TRS leader's language, but he obviously wanted to assert himself. YSRCP president Vijayamma was not allowed to speak by the TDP members since her attack was primarily on Naidu.

Her inexperience in this kind of debates was evident. Narasimhulu, the TDP member who is known to create heat while making a point, was at his combative best when he attacked the YSRCP leaders.

He sounded unreasonable and unkind at times when he mounted a scathing attack on the late chief minister, his son and son-in-law. Another MLA from TDP Revant Reddy stuck to the issues, particularly the power crisis, in his speech. Kanna Laxminarayana and Danam Nagender, ministers who were considered to be close to YSR, were critical of YSRCP during their interventions.

The result of the debate and the voting is not just that the government has survived yet another no-trust move. It is, in fact, a shot in the arm for the CM whose image in the eyes of the high command would further rise.

The purpose of the TRS and the YSRCP to prove that the main opposition party is in collusion with the Congress has not been conclusively proved although seeds of doubt have been sown. But the TDP and the Congress have lost about 15 MLAs among themselves. The government, however, survived the second no confidence motion.

The Congress high command will take note of this ' pyrrhic victory' scored by him. There won't be any such trial of strength before the next general election.

The monsoon session in November will be short and the last session in February next will be for passing vote on account. Kiran, therefore, can expect to continue till next elections if the Congress high command does not come out with a package or solution for Telangana tangle which involves change of chief minister. So far, Kiran Kumar Reddy has been lucky.