Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Raghuveera Reddy said BJP-led NDA was looking for excuses for not granting special category status for Andhra Pradesh despite the A.P. Reorganisation Act containing a provision for it.
In 2002, the then NDA government had granted special category status to Uttarakhand. Likewise, both Houses of Parliament had approved the A.P. Reorganisation Act and accordingly, there should not be any issue in granting special status to A.P., he said.
“By stating that other States need to approve special status to A.P., the BJP government was betraying the people. In fact, the BJP in its poll promises, assured that 10 years special status would be granted to A..P. The Telugu Desam Party is acting as mute spectator on the issue,” said Mr. Reddy.
Signature campaign
The Congress is championing the cause of attaining special status and is launching a one crore signature campaign from February 6to pressurise the Central government. The campaign would commence after a special puja at Polavaram.
People in all the 175 constituencies would be approached and their aspirations would be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said while addressing a press conference here on Saturday.
Asked about the controversy over river water sharing, power and other aspects, Mr. Raghuveera Reddy said all such issues were addressed in the A.P. Reorganisation Act. But both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments were trying to create controversies instead of settling them amicably through dialogue, he said.
On the possibility of senior leaders, who left the party staging a comeback, Mr. Reddy the Congress would welcome them unconditionally.
Earlier in the day, the party conducted its executive committee meeting and passed resolutions to complete the formation of district, city, town and mandal level committees by March end, conduct party membership drive from March to July and strengthen the party cadre at grass-roots level by organising different awareness programmes.
All India Congress Committee secretaries R.C. Khuntia and S. Thirunavukkarasu, former Union Ministers M.M. Pallam Raju, Panabaka Lakshmi, Killi Kruparani and J.D.Seelam and other senior leaders participated in the meeting.
