AP special status: Ahead of PM’s visit, Opposition turns heat on state govt

Hyderabad: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Andhra Pradesh on October 22, main opposition YSR Congress and Congress on Saturday tried to turn the heat on the ruling TDP-BJP combine on the special category status to AP.

Opposition leader and YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy sought an appointment with Modi on October 22 to present their case on the special status issue.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the new capital city Amaravathi on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami on October 22.

"I along with our party MLAs (67), MPs (7) and MLCs (7) would like to meet you personally on October 22, 2015, during your ensuing visit to our state to submit a memorandum requesting that special category status be accorded to our state at the earliest," Jagan said in a letter to the Prime Minister.

The party president had sat on an indefinite hunger strike (seeking special status) which was foiled by police after six days following concerns over his health.

The YSRCP had held a dharna in New Delhi earlier in support of the demand.

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Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Congress leaders met Governor E S L Narasimhan here and urged that FIRs be issued on the police cases filed by the party earlier against Modi, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu for "cheating" people on the special status issue.

Congress, which does not have any representation in the Legislative Assembly, had earlier organised campaigns like filing police cases, appeal to people to send SMSes to AP Chief Minister and Union ministers from the state on the demand.

The promise of special status was made to new Andhra Pradesh by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Parliament during the passage of Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act last year.

Venkaiah Naidu and other BJP leaders had rubbished the Congress campaign, alleging that Congress divided Andhra Pradesh last year just ahead of elections after "sleeping for 10 years".

They said the NDA government is fulfilling all the promises made to Andhra Pradesh.

The Centre had asked NITI Ayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya to go into the issue of special status and others.