APCC Prez Sharmila, leaders’ stage dharna in Delhi demanding SCS
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President YS Sharmila and party leaders staged a dharna in New Delhi on Friday in protest against giving a raw deal to the state in the general budget and denial of Special Category Status (SCS).
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President YS Sharmila and party leaders staged a dharna in New Delhi on Friday in protest against giving a raw deal to the state in the general budget and denial of Special Category Status (SCS).
A Congress release here said that the Congress leaders including YS Sharmila, former Union Minister JD Seelam, former APCC president Gidugu Rudraraju, Koppula Raju squatted on the road at AP Bhavan. Holding placards, they raised slogans demanding justice to the state.
Addressing the gathering, Sharmila accused the BJP led government of deceiving the people of AP by not granting the Special Category Status.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself assured of granting SCS to AP while addressing a public meeting in Tirupati but has not fulfilled the promise.
The BJP-led Centre is also not releasing funds for the construction of Polavaram project, she slammed. The establishment of a steel factory in Kadapa, seaport at Dugarajapatnam and railway zone in Visakhapatnam remained unfulfilled.
The Centre is making efforts to privatize the Visakhapatnam steel plant, the APCC President alleged.
“Is denial of SCS to AP not betrayal?” she questioned. Despite the YSRCP having 31 MPs, it is unable to exert pressure on the Centre to get SCS granted, Sharmila lambasted.
“The Centre has granted Rs 1000 crore for the Amaravati railway line,” she deplored and asked what the 31 ruling party MPs were doing.
It may be mentioned here that YS Sharmila is the younger sister of AP Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Later a Congress delegation led by YS Sharmila met National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and sought his help in getting SCS. KVP Ramachandra Rao, Tulasi Reddy, Gidugu Rudraraju and JD Seelam accompanied her.
Later the Congress delegation led by Sharmila met DMK MP Tiruchi Shiva and urged the party’s support in exerting pressure on the Centre for SCS.
The DMK MP told the Congress leader that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin is on foreign tour, and he would inform him of the request of the AP Congress unit as soon as he returned.
Later YS Sharmila and other Congress leaders met CPI(M) National secretary Sitaram Yechury and submitted him a memorandum urging the party’s support.
