NOT PACKAGE, WE NEED SPL. STATUS: YSRCP

Reiterating that the Party would fight relentlessly to achieve the special status for the State, YSR Congress has slammed the BJP and TDP leaders for diluting the issue and going in the direction of special package which is not acceptable to the people of the state.

“A day after we have staged a dharna in New Delhi, TDP started its fire-fighting exercise with a few MPs and a minister meeting union finance minister Arun Jaitley who gave no categorical assurance but only spoke that the Centre may consider of giving a special package in the days to come,” party senior leader Botsa Satyanarayana told reporters on Wednesday.

TDP leaders and the Chief Minister are trying to give a build-up that they have achieved a great thing by talking to the Union Finance Minister but in reality they could not get any assurance on the special status and it is back to square one.

“This is only a gimmick to divert the attention of the people and an exercise to show off that they have done something as YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Delhi dharna was a big success,” he said.

It was amply clear that BJP which has clearly mentioned in its 2014 election manifesto that it will increase the special category status from five years to 10 years if it comes to power has gone back on its word and is now searching ways and methods to evade that.

“There will be no let up in our agitation seeking special status and the August 29 bandh is the next step to mount pressure on the Centre to accord special status. It is only with the special status that the State will develop industrially and the economy will take off towards development with people getting jobs and quality of life improving,” he said.