Political parties, NGOs urged to fight for Special Category Status

Vijayawada: The speakers addressing the round-table meeting here on Monday urged leaders and workers of various political parties and people's organisations to join hands to fight against the State and Central governments for securing the Special Category Status.

Several leaders of various political parties including CPM, CPI, YSR Congress, Congress and Pratyeka Hoda Sadhana Samiti took part in the round-table meeting here. Speaking on the occasion, the leaders asked the cadres of all political parties to participate in the proposed agitation as final attempt in the fight for special category status.

State CPM secretary P Madhu said that the NDA government led by BJP did not implement the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act fully. The important issues like railway zone, special category status, central university and  funds for capital construction have not been implemented so far. 

Expressing doubts over the fate of Polavaram project, Mahdu appealed to all the political parties to come forward to fight against the Central and State governments. All the parties should raise their voice in the next two months, he added. 

CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna said the BJP government was neglecting the interests of state. He wondered whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi had any respect for Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and people of the State or not. The TDP should come out from the Union Cabinet and fight for special category status, he said. 

The CPI leader asked the students and people's organisations to fight for special category as our right before the next budget sessions. He asked film hero Pawan Kalyan, Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy and Congress president N Raghuveera Reddy to join hands with them to fight on the issue.  

Andhra Pradesh Pratyeka Hoda Sadhana Samiti president Chalasani Srinivas urged  the people and the public to fight for special category issue like Tamil Nadu. He said the voters of RK Nagar in Chennai gave a fitting reply to the BJP by rejecting them in the elections.

The BJP could not get even get votes polled for NOTA, he asserted. Former MLAs Malladi Vishnu, Masthan Vali, city CPI secretary D Shankar and several leaders were present on the occasion.