Chennai: YSR Congress chief JaganÂmohan Reddy on WedÂnesÂday called on chief minister J. Jayalalithaa to appeal for support for his campaign for united AnÂdÂhra Pradesh. AccomÂpanied by six of his party colleague, he met the CM at the Secretariat early afternoon and spent about 30 minutes explaining his case against creation of TeÂlaÂnÂgana. She gave him a paÂtient hearing, sources said.
Later in the evening, Reddy met DMK president M. Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence, where party treasurer M K Stalin and Ms Kanimozhi, MP, were also present. Speaking to reporters after that, Reddy said his meetings with CM Jayalalithaa and DMK chief Karunanidhi were in continuation of his efforts to gain support from all important political leaders for united AP.
He sought the leaders’ support for amending Article 3 of the Constitution of India, which deals with the formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of the existing states. The Centre should not be able to bifurcate any state without the latter’s legislature approving it, Reddy said.
“Today it is Andhra, tomorrow it could be you…All those believing in democracy should support this cause (for united AP)”, he said.
He claimed that the Lok Sabha polls in AP next year would be a ‘referendum’ on the bifurcation of the state to create Telangana. His party would make united AP as the poll issue and was confident of winning over 30 seats and be in a position to decide on the next Prime Minister, but can the Congress dare to make this its election plank, Reddy asked.
The YSR Congress chief has already met CMs of West Bengal and Odisha, Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik, in his campaign to drum up support for united AP. It is not yet clear whether the bill for creation of Telangana would be brought in the winter session of the Parliament commencing on Thursday.
Today it’s Andhra, tomorrow it could be you: Jagan
YSR Congress chief Y.S.R Jaganmohan Reddy on WeÂdnesday called on chief miÂnister J. Jayalalithaa and DMK president M. KarunÂanÂiÂdhi and appealed to thÂem to see the state bifurÂcaÂÂtion as a national issue and support his “united AnÂdÂhra” campaign as a siÂmilar fate could befall on TaÂmil Nadu later.
Making an earnest appeal to the leaders, Reddy, emerging out of over a 45-minute-long meeting with Karunanidhi at the latter’s Gopalapuram residence, told reporters, “Today it is Andhra. Tomorrow it could you” and hence the issue should be seen as national issue and not as an issue of Andhra Pradesh alone.
“Anyone with 272 seats (MPs) at the Centre could divide any state according to their whims and fancies without consulting the people of the state and hence Article 3 (of Indian ConsÂtitution) should be amended and everyone who beliÂeves in democracy shoÂuld support the cause,” he said adding that both JayalaÂlithaa and Karunanidhi feel that it (issue) should be addressed.
Reddy however evaded queries about the details of the meeting with the two leaders by reiterating that he had appealed to them to support the united Andhra campaign in the interest of democracy.
Asked if a referendum ought to be held to settle TelÂaÂngana issue, the YSR chief said the 2014 Lok Sabha poll is a referendum in itself. Daring the ConÂgress party to defer the bifurcation issue to post-LS poll period, Jagan said they would win 30 MP seats and decide the next Prime Minister.
Further accusing the Congress-led Centre of attÂeÂmpting to bifurcate AndÂhra for votes and political interests, Reddy who had been meeting several national and regional paÂrty leaders including BJP president Rajnath Singh, to drum up support against the state bifurcation refeÂrred to the Rayal-TelaÂngana proposal and said the Congress lacked clarity on the issue.
Reddy was accompanied by Nellore MP MakÂhapathi Rajamohan Reddy, Ongole MLA Balineni SriÂnivas, Tirupati Urban DevÂelopment Authority chaÂirÂman C.H. Bhaskara Reddy and other senior leaders.
