Ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo yatra entering Andhra Pradesh the Congress leaders once again promised special category status for the state. The Congress leaders said that Rahul Gandhi would give his first signature granting special category status, if the Congress formed the government at the Centre after the 2024 general elections.

A galaxy of the leaders met in Kurnool on Tuesday to make arrangements for Rahul Gandhi’s yatra in the state. The yatra would enter from Karnataka and pass through some pockets in the Rayalaseema region of the state. Rahul Gandhi’s yatra would be held for just four days in Andhra Pradesh covering 95 kilometers.

The yatra would then enter into the neighbouring Telangana state and continue for 13 days.

The Congress leaders said that the UPA government had promised special category status for Andhra Pradesh at the time of bifurcation. However, the successive governments had completely ignored it, they said.

Then BJP MP, M Venkaiah Naidu asked for the special category status for ten years, while the UPA promised it for five years. But, after becoming the vice-president, Venkaiah Naidu too ignored it as did the BJP leadership.

The Congress leaders emphasised the need to give special assistance to Andhra Pradesh, which lost the revenue sources to Telangana due to bifurcation. Andhra Pradesh required a helping hand which the successive BJP-led NDA government had not given, the Congress leaders asserted.