Jagan Mohan meets Left leaders, seeks support against Andhra Pradesh bifurcation

New Delhi: Continuing with his efforts to keep Andhra Pradesh united, YSR Congress Party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday sought the support of two Left parties to defeat the Telangana Bill when it is introduced in Parliament.

Jagan, in the city as part of his nationwide tour to garner support among political parties for the united Andhra cause, today met CPI general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy and senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury separately as part of his mission. And, although CPI refused to express solidarity with YSR Congress, CPI(M) maintained its position against any division of states.

Following his meetings with the two Left leaders, Jagan warned that the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh would set a bad precedent which would see the government at the Centre dividing states as per its "whims and fancies for electoral gains".

"Today, it happens to be Andhra Pradesh, tomorrow, it can be Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu... Anybody with a 272 majority in Lok Sabha can draw a line and split states," he told reporters here.

During his meeting with the CPI general secretary, Jagan said that 75 per cent of the population in Andhra Pradesh was against the proposed bifurcation. "He wanted us to reconsider our decision. But we reiterated that Telangana should be divided and separate statehood should be given," Sudhakar Reddy told reporters.

Sharing the details of his meeting with Jagan, the CPI leader said that the former had raised apprehensions about the misuse of Article 3, which empowers the Centre to divide states.