Rahul Gandhi as PM will accord special status to AP, BJP cheated people says Sharmila

VIZIANAGARAM: APCC president YS Sharmila called upon the people of the State to vote for Congress if they want special status for the State.

Addressing an extended meeting of the District Congress Committee in Vizianagaram on Tuesday she said that Rahul Gandhi has already assured of granting special status after coming to power at the Centre, one of the promises made to the residual State of Andhra Pradesh in the bifurcation Act.

“You know the state of Andhra Pradesh better than me. The State would have developed a lot if the special status was accorded. Both the TDP and the YSRCP cheated the people. Chandrababu Naidu who wanted special status for 15 years forgot his promise after winning the elections and even got the agitators arrested for demanding the special status,” she pointed out.

On the other hand, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who asked people to give 25 MPs so that he would fight in the Parliament left the demand for his political gains, Sharmila said. “Tell me how many times my brother Jagan fought for special status in the past five years. There would have been many industries in the State if the Centre accorded the special category status,” she said.

Criticising CM Jagan for not issuing a job calendar every January 1, Sharmila wanted to know what would be the use of issuing a job calendar now when the elections were scheduled in a few months.

Sharmila who traveled from Srikakulam to Ichchapuram by bus said that she spoke to several women on the bus and they expressed their disappointment over the non-implementation of prohibition by the YSRCP Government.

“Instead, the Government raised the prices of the liquor robbing the poor. Jagan said that he would not ask for votes if he failed to implement prohibition, what happened to that assurance,” she pointed out. She added that the YS Jagan’s Government set aside the Polavaram project, a vital project for the development of the State. Both the YSRCP and the TDP turned into puppets of the BJP. “Why so much love for the BJP which did not give the State the much-needed special Status,” she said.

While the people of Andhra Pradesh had rejected the BJP in elections, both the ruling and the opposition parties were harping BJP tune, she said. “They are sold out to the BJP. Did the Centre give any funds to Polavaram or at least the 10 lakh jobs to the State out of the two crore jobs the BJP has promised,” she said. She called upon the cadre to fight like soldiers to bring back Congress into power at the State and the Centre.