Rajahmundry: As many as 40,000 lawyers would abstain from attending the court and related work in Andhra Pradesh to mount pressure on the Centre to accord special status category to the state on August 5. The lawyers also plan to stage a series of protest demonstrations peacefully and intend to continue the same till special status is accorded.
The lawyers blamed the Congress party for bifurcating the state without any rationale causing hardship to nearly five crore people in the state. The advocates also criticised the BJP for making false promises with regard to according SCS to the state and implementing all provisions incorporated in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, during polls then.
Referring to Union finance minister Arun Jaitely’s reply in the Rajya Sabha on according special status category to AP, the lawyers reminded that SCS demands of other state were already existing when the BJP made a promise on SCS to Andhra Pradesh. The lawyers said if the Centre fails to implement the assurances given by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the floor of the Parliament during bifurcation of the state and several provisions incorporated in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, which has legal sanctity, the people in the state may lose confidence in the Paliamentary system of governance in the country.
They turned critical on the Centre for making excuses saying that the recommendations of the XIV Finance Commission were against according SCS to AP.
AP Bar Council member Muppala Subba Rao said, "We will not attend any court work on Friday and stage rallies, dharnas.” Special category status is the right of AP people. We are not begging for it," he said.
