MLCs look for some glamour

By J.R. PRASAD

Hyderabad, Feb. 22: The state Legislative Council, despite having more ‘intellectual’ members, does not have the glamour of the Assembly.
And none are more aware of this than the members of the council, who don’t make any effort to hide their disappointment and frustration.
According to them, most people are not even aware of the existence of the council, even two years after it was restored. MLCs speak earnestly about various issues in the council but their speeches are ignored by TV channels and do not find place in the columns of newspapers either. “There is no live telecast for the proceedings and people have no idea of the discussions happening in it,” said the leader of the opposition in the council, Mr Dadi Veera Bhadra Rao. “Newspapers are not giving priority to the debates taken up in the House either.” “Because of this, most people don’t recognise MLCs,” said Mr Veera Bhadra Rao. giving full vent to his displeasure in the council.
The MLCs are also frustrated at not having constituency development funds like their counterparts in the Assembly. They placed this demand before the minister for finance and newly elected MLC, Mr K. Rosaiah, when he was taking part in a discussion. “When there is no money with us, who will respect us?” asked the MLC, Mr Mohan Reddy. “We have no peace of mind as we are not given funds to sanction developmental works in our constituencies.”
In fact, most people (including voters) are even unaware of the procedure adopted to elect MLCs. For instance, there was only 27.1 per cent polling in the Mahbubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad graduates’ constituency in the recent polls. Election Commission officials attributed the low turnout to private sector employees not being given leave on polling day. “I wanted to vote but I could not find a polling station within seven-km radius from my house,” said Mr V. Balakrishna, a resident of IDPL colony. Unlike Assembly elections, there is no bonding between voters and candidates in the council elections.
However, there was high polling percentage in the teachers’ constituencies where some candidates reportedly tried to lure the voters by offering gifts. Here at least, they matched some of their counterparts in the Assembly.