Congress to take up porubata for Special Category Status

Amalapuram: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President N Raghuveera Reddy on Tuesday said the party would take up ’porubata’ (struggle) in a phased manner to achieve Special Category Status for the state.

Speaking after participating in a ’Atmagowrava Deeksha’ near the revenue divisional office here to press the demand for Special Category Status, along with former Union Ministers Pallam Raju and J D Seelam, he accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of  ‘gang up’ with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to leave the state bankrupt.

However, he criticised Naidu for failing to secure an appointment with Modi during the last one-and-a-half years. Reddy sought to justify the phased agitation by the party as failure to secure Special Category Status would amount to insulting the Telugus.

He said the SPS issue would be thrashed out in the ensuing Parliament session. The agitation, the APCC chief stated, would include ‘rasta roko’ on March 2 and ‘Atmagourava Deeksha’ in New Delhi on March 7. He warned that if the Centre failed to concede the demand by then the party would lay siege to Parliament the next day.

Former minister G Rudra Raju presided over the deeksha. Among the participants were former MP Buchhi Maheswara Rao, Pantam Nanaji, Kalwakollu Tataji, Janga Gowtham, Thikka Prasad.