We Are Dedicated To The Cause

Kurnool, Oct 25: Asserting that the fight for Special Category Status (SCS) would continue relentlessly, Leader of Opposition YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that they will raise the issue at various forums and will highlight the issue in the Parliament and if need be our MPs will quit and seek a reelection to prove the intensity of the issue. 

Addressing the youth at the Yuva Bheri here on Tuesday he said : ‘ We have to join hands to put up a joint fight as Special Category Status (SCS) is our future and we cannot forego it but have to achieve it by a concerted effort. 

When people could achieve Telangana through sustained agitation why cannot we get the SCS, which was assured in the Parliament. The leadership has breached the faith of the people on this count and we have to put up a persistent fight to achieve the SCS,’ he said. 

We will raise the issue at all available forums and our MPs will take up the issue in the Parliament with all the vigour and if no assurance comes in the ensuing budget session, our MPs will not go back in quitting their seats and seek reelection on the SCS plank. 

Showing the AV clippings of Narender Modi, Venkaiah Naidu and Chandrababu Naidu assuring special status in the public meeting during elections, he said, ‘these people have gone back on the poll promise. We need people who honour their words and have credibility. 

While Venkaiah Naidu has asked for 10 years of special status and not five years as he gestation period would be more than three years, Chandrababu Naidu has went ahead and asked for 15 years. They were in opposition then. Narender Modi told a public meeting that the concept special category status to Andhra Pradesh was that of Venkaiah Naidu.

After coming to power they started watering it down and started speaking in a different tune and even started telling that SCS is not the only solution.SCS gives the states many incentives which attract more investors who will open up new industries creating more jobs benefiting youth. SCS was assured in lieu of Hyderabad which houses 70 % of industries and if the status is given, every district will turn into Hyderabad, he said.  Arun Jaitley has given a statement mentioning a package late in the night and Chandrababu Naidu has welcomed it though what was mentioned in it goes against the interests of the state. 

Arun Jaitley has scaled down the assurances given in the State Reorganization Act and read it out as a special package which Chandrababu Naidu had welcomed. Some of them include, Duggirajapatnam Port which was mentioned in the Act that the Centre would take it up but the Finance Minister’s statement says that it would done through Public Private Partnership (PPP). The funding of Polavaram too was brought down drastically. 

The Chief Minister, as he could not face the Opposition in the Assembly, went the Council to thank the Prime Minister for the special package, organized felicitation programmes for Venkaiah Naidu and went to Delhi to personally felicitate Arun Jaitley.

This shows his lack of concern for the people.We shall continue to fight for the SCS outside and inside the Parliament he said and asked the youth to join the fight which would shape their future.