YSR Congress to hold meeting in Hyderabad for united Andhra Pradesh

YSR Congress party will hold a massive public meeting in Hyderabad in October to oppose the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, announced party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy.

With the court Monday refusing him permission to travel to Guntur, where he planned to launch 'samaikyandhra' (united Andhra) campaign, Jaganmohan Reddy has decided to organize the meeting in Hyderabad, which is geographically a part of Telangana.

During his first interaction with media after his release from jail last week, Jaganmohan Reddy said the meeting would be held between Oct 15 and Oct 20. He said precise date would be announced later.

YSR Congress will be the first political party to hold the meeting in Hyderabad after July 30 decision of Congress Working Committee (CWC) to carve out separate Telangana state.

The announcement came a day after Telangana Joint Action Committee held a mammoth public meeting here to urge the central government to speed up the process for formation of separate state.

Jagan, as the MP from Kadapa is popularly known, was released from jail last week after 16 months following conditional bail granted by the special CBI court.

The court, which directed him not to leave Hyderabad without its permission, Monday permitted him to visit his native Kadapa district to pay respects at his father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's grave but rejected his request to visit Guntur.

Jagan met Governor ESL Narasimhan on Monday evening and urged him to immediately convene a session of the state assembly to pass a resolution opposing state's division.

He said such a resolution will convey to the leaders in Delhi and to the entire country that "injustice" is being done to Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra).

He said the session should be called before the union cabinet prepares a note as opposing the Telangana resolution after the central government sends it to assembly would be of no use.

He denied that YSR Congress took a u-turn on Telangana. "We had written a letter to union home minister that injustice should not be done to any region and the solution should be acceptable to all," he said.

Stating that 60 % of people were on roads for over two months, he said the bifurcation would lead to severe problem of irrigation and drinking water in both Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra.

Claiming that he wants unity of all three regions (Rayalaseema, coastal Andhra and Telangana), Jagan assured people of Telangana that he would take the region on the path of development. He said state's division was not a solution to the problems of Telangana.

Jagan claimed that YSR Congress is the only party besides the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and MIM to oppose division. He reiterated his allegation that Congress is dividing the state for votes and seats while Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is keeping quiet for fear of losing votes and seats.

Jagan suggested that Samaikyandhra Joint Action Committee send a letter on behalf of all parties to the central government to oppose bifurcation.

"I am ready to be the first person to sign the letter," he said and challenged TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Congress state president to sign the same to prove their sincerity towards samaikyandhra.