New Delhi: Attacking the Centre and the TDP government for failing to get the special category status for Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy today charged Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with throwing the State “aside” just to keep an enquiry into cash- for-vote scam at bay.
He also attacked Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, saying he spoke about the special category issue just for a day in Andhra Pradesh while his party did not raise the issue in Parliament in the last 15 months. Participating in a protest organised by his party to demand special category status for Andhra Pradesh here, the YSRCP leader recalled the recent allegations of attempts to buy out MLAs in Telangana.
“He (Naidu) just does not want that enquiry to take place. He wants the Central government’s blessings. So, he is just throwing the State aside,” Reddy told PTI here. Stating that the protest at Delhi was against the BJP-led government at the Centre and TDP Government in Andhra Pradesh for failing to get Special Status Category for the State, he alleged these parties were backing out from their promises.
“It is a protest against both, the BJP Government at Delhi as well as the ruling TDP party in the State. The reason is because when they are party to it, when they have witnessed what has happened and have made promise on the floor of the House, these people ratified and broke the State. How it is fair now that after the division, these people back out?” he said.
The Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh, however, offered to work together with his arch rival and Chief Minister for getting special category status for the State. He alleged the Chief Minister did not take an all party
delegation for the purpose and failed to adopt an unanimous resolution in the Assembly over the issue as demanded by the YSRCP in the past. “Obviously, when we said you lead an all party delegation what does it mean?… Yet Chandrababu Naidu, BJP, everybody is to be blamed here on this,” he said when asked if he was ready to rise over his political adversaries with TDP on the issue.
To a query on Congress also raising the issue of special category status for Andhra Pradesh, he wondered when had the Congress demanded for special status for the State in Parliament in the last 15 months. “Tell me a single day in (the last) 15 months, when did Congress actually went to the Parliament and demanded special status for Andhra Pradesh. “This man (Rahul Gandhi), one day in his 15 months period he comes to Andhra Pradesh and he takes up this issue, as he has no other issue. And he just speaks something and goes,” the YSRCP leader said.
