Jagan Reddy participates in dharna demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh
New Delhi: YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday participated in a dharna here demanding special status to Andhra Pradesh and wondered what was stopping Prime Minister Narendra Modi from according the status to his state.
Instead of finding new excuses to deny Special Status to Andhra Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi should invoke his powers as Chairman of National Development Council to grant promised special status as NDC had full powers to do the same, a statement issued by YSRCP said quoting Reddy.
"Only National Development Council has such powers (to grant special status to states) and it is chaired by Prime Minister himself. As chairman of National Development Council Prime Minister can take a decision. What is stopping the Prime Minister from according special status to Andhra Pradesh?" he asked.
Reddy charged Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with throwing the State "aside" just to keep an enquiry into cash-for-vote scam at bay.
Earlier in the day, speaking to PTI at the dharna site, the YSRCP leader recalled the recent allegations of attempts to buy out MLAs in Telangana. "He (Naidu) just does not want that enquiry to take place. He wants the Central government's blessings. So, he is just throwing the State aside," Reddy told PTI here.
He also attacked Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, saying he spoke about the special category issue just for a day in Andhra Pradesh while his party did not raise the issue in Parliament in the last 15 months.
Reddy also wondered as to why BJP which had demanded 10 years of special status to Andhra Pradesh before coming to power was refusing to accord Special Status now.
Stating that the protest at Delhi was against the BJP-led government at the Centre and TDP Government in Andhra Pradesh for failing to get Special Status Category for the State, he alleged these parties were backing out from their promises.
"It is a protest against both, the BJP Government at Delhi as well as the ruling TDP party in the State. The reason is because when they are party to it, when they have witnessed what has happened and have made promise on the floor of the House, these people ratified and broke the State. How it is fair now that after the division, these people back out?" he said.
The Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh, however, offered to work together with his arch rival and Chief Minister for getting special category status for the State.
Reddy alleged that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu did not take an all party delegation for the purpose and failed to adopt an unanimous resolution in the Assembly over the issue as demanded by the YSRCP in the past.
"Obviously, when we said you lead an all party delegation what does it mean?... Chandrababu Naidu, BJP, everybody is to be blamed here on this," he said when asked if he was ready to rise over his political adversaries with TDP on the issue.
To a query on Congress also raising the issue of special category status for Andhra Pradesh, he wondered when had the Congress demanded for special status for the State in Parliament in the last 15 month.
"Tell me a single day in (the last) 15 months, when did Congress actually went to the Parliament and demanded special status for Andhra Pradesh....
"This man (Rahul Gandhi), one day in his 15 months period he comes to Andhra Pradesh and he takes up this issue, as he has no other issue. And he just speaks something and goes," the YSRCP leader said.
The YSRCP statement also said that CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechuri has lend his support for special status for Andhra Pradesh at the dharna.
"I, as a person, and my party CPI(M) fully support the cause for which YSRCP is fighting.... Now, it's almost a year over, they have forgotten the special status. The Union Government is not looking into the matters related to the division. We condemn the Union government's action ," the statement quoting Yechuri said.
