Round table squarely blames Centre

Vijayawada: A round-table meeting started off with a bang on Tuesday but ended in a whimper as the meeting did not pass any resolution nor took any decision to exert pressure on the Centre to release pending grants and funds. However, the mainstream political parties, including the TDP, the BJP, the CPI, the Congress and the Jana Sena agreed to work together for the implementation of AP Bifurcation Act.

Leaders of these parties attended the round-table meeting hosted by former MP Undavalli Arun Kumar on Tuesday here and discussed the loss suffered by the state due to bifurcation of the state and pending grants from the Union government. The leaders unanimously agreed that the state was divided unscientifically, and injustice was meted out to the state. The YSRCP and CPM did not attend the conference.

The YSRCP said that it would not attend a meeting with the TDP. The CPM announced that it had differences with the BJP and would not participate in the meeting. Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, Social Welfare Minister Nakka Anandababu attended the meeting on behalf of the TDP.

Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan, CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna, Congress leader N Tulasi Reddy, BJP leader IYR Krishna Rao and Supreme Court former judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar attended the meeting. The leaders have discussed the pending dues from the Central government and implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act in the state.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Undavalli Arun Kumar along with the leaders of other parties, said the people of Andhra Pradesh should not forget the loss suffered by the state and unscientific division of the state. “The MPs of Andhra region were in a helpless situation when the state was forcibly bifurcated,” he added. He further said that no other state in India was bifurcated like Andhra Pradesh.

Explaining the purpose of the round-table meeting, Arun Kumar said that it was to bring unity among the political parties as they have to fight together for the rights of Andhra Pradesh after the Assembly polls. Though the meeting did not pass any resolutions, it had discussed the pending grants from the Union government. 

However, there was no consensus among the political parties on the pending grants from the Centre, he said. Stressing upon the need to fight collectively to get the objectives fulfilled, Agriculture Minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy said the state has to get about Rs1 lakh crore from the Central government. 

Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan said the political parties should fight collectively to get justice. BJP leader IYR Krisna Rao said there is no consensus among the political parties on pending grants from the Central government.