Hyderabad: As the no-trust motion of Telugu Desam and YSR Congress party against the Narendra Modi government continues to be in limbo in Parliament, both the parties have decided to intensify their agitation on the issue of special category status for Andhra Pradesh.
Chief Minister and TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu, his cabinet colleagues and all members of the state assembly and the staff members of legislature and the state secretariat attended their duties on Wednesday wearing black badges as a mark of protest against the “step-motherly treatment” meted out by the Centre to Andhra Pradesh. As per the decision of the all-party meeting on Tuesday, they will continue to wear the black badges till April 6, Naidu said.
Drawing a leaf from Japanese culture, Naidu appealed to the people of the state to work one hour extra during the period of protest. “Everybody in the state should wear the black badge and work one hour extra,” he said.
The chief minister will also lead an all-party delegation to New Delhi on April 2 and 3 to meet the leaders of various political parties and mobilise their support to the cause of Andhra Pradesh.
Making a power-point presentation in the state assembly on Wednesday on the promises the Centre had made at the time of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, Naidu said that the Centre had miserably failed to fulfil the promises landing the state in serious problems.
“One national party (Congress) threw the state on the roads and another (BJP) betrayed the people of the state,” he told the assembly. “When we are fighting for the rights of the state, they are creating confusion and obstructions in the way of our no-trust motion.”
The power-point presentation also included the video clippings of the speeches of Narendra Modi promising special category status to Andhra Pradesh during his election campaign in the state in 2014 elections in the state, provisions of Reorganisation Act passed by the Parliament and the promises made by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament at the time of the passage of the bill. “People reposed their trust in the promises of Prime Minister Modi. If after making promises they betray, what can we say,” he said, terming the state’s fight as ‘Dharma Yuddh’ (war for justice). He said this would continue till achieving the goal.
Holding the Centre responsible for the obstruction in Parliament against the no-trust motion, Naidu targeted Modi. “Is it not the responsibility of the prime minister to reply to the no-trust motion?” he asked.
Referring to Tuesday’s all-party meeting, he said that except the YSR Congress party, Jana Sena and BJP, all parties attended the meeting and gave vent to the feeling of the people. “The parties which did not attend the meeting should explain their absence,” he said.
Naidu also announced that he would convene another all-party meeting in the state to discuss the issue of special category status.
He said that Andhra Pradesh was facing revenue deficit as most of the income of the state had gone to Telangana following the bifurcation. He rejected the allegations of the BJP that there were irregularities in the spending on Polavaram project. “We are clearing the bills on time,” he said.
Meanwhile, the opposition YSR Congress party, facing the allegations of “hidden understanding” with Modi government, has said that its MPs will tender resignation if the no-trust motion was not taken up for debate in Parliament. “We are expecting the motion to be taken up next week. But if it does not happen all the party MPs will resign,” said party MP M. Rajmohan Reddy.
He said that with the YSRCP giving the notice for the no-trust motion, the special category status demand by Andhra Pradesh had attracted nationwide attraction.
