Even as the ruling TDP is struggling hard to save its face on the issue of achieving special status for Andhra Pradesh, state Congress leaders have begun making attempts to revive their party in the state by cashing in on the growing resentment among people against the Centre on the issue.
Taking the lead, Congress member of the Rajya Sabha KVP Ramachandra Rao, who had already written a letter to chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu seeking TDP’s support for the private member’s bill moved by him in the Rajya Sabha seeking special status to the residuary state, has written a similar letter to Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, requesting him to support the bill which is coming up for discussion on May 13.
Thus, the Congress senior leader wants both the Naidus to direct the members of their respective parties in the Rajya Sabha to participate in the voting in support of the bill.
“The Naidu duo should also enlist the support of other NDA partners for the bill which is of utmost importance to the state to overcome the problems it is facing post-bifurcation,” Rao said in New Delhi.
The private member’s bill, which had come up for discussion in the Upper House on May 4, could not continue for want of quorum and was listed for debate on May 13.
The Congress member, in the bill, asked the Centre to fulfil its promises including bridging the revenue deficit, liberal financial assistance for the construction of the new capital, time-bound completion of the Polavaram irrigation project and sanction of special category status to AP for a period of 10 years.
Against this backdrop, AP Congress leaders on held a meeting in Delhi under the leadership of AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh to chalk out an action plan on how to revive the party in the state.
APCC chief N Raghuveera Reddy, Rajya Sabha member JD Seelam and former Union minister MM Pallam Raju and others took part in the meeting.
KVI in his three-page letter urged Venkaiah Naidu to use his good offices in convincing Prime Minister Modi against going back on the assurance he himself had given to the people of Andhra Pradesh during his campaign for 2014 elections.
