Narendra Modi slammed for denying Special Category Status to AP

Penukonda (Anantapur): The Congress party's Statewide 'Praja Bharosa Bus Yatra' which kick-started at Neelakantapuram village in Madakasira mandal in Anantapur district in support of its campaign for Special Category Status (SCS) received a good response from the people here on the opening day.

The Yatra was taken out for more than 100 km covering Hindupur, Penukonda, Raptadu and Anantapur towns. The yatra will halt at Anantapur for the night.

A galaxy of senior Congress leaders, ex-Ministers and ex-MPs are taking part in the Yatra and lambasting the NDA government and Prime Minister Modi for failure to sanction the Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. 

Literally hundreds came on to the streets to hail the Bus Yatra of Congress. The Congress leaders addressed meetings at different places during the Yatra. Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader KVP Ramachandra Rao spoke on ‘Great Betrayal’ by Narendra Modi government.

PCC chief N Raghuveera Reddy said that people can trust Rahul Gandhi who belongs to the family of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, the two leaders who had sacrificed their lives for the cause of the nation. Rahul said that he would sign the first file granting the Special Category Status to AP and the Congress president will never go back on his word, the PCC president said.

Raghvueera said both the TDP and YSRCP lost their credibility in the State, the former through its misrule and the latter failing to properly function as the main Opposition party.  

Apart from assuring Special Status to AP, he pointed out that Rahul Gandhi was introducing schemes like waiving loans up to Rs 2 lakh to farmers and appealed to people to cast their votes to the Congress party both in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. 

AICC general secretary and AP Congress affairs in-charge Oommen Chandy, Rajya Sabha member KVP Ramachandra Rao, former Union Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, Minister D K Sivakumar and former AP Minister S Sailajanath were among those who took part in the Bharosa Yatra. 

The Congress activists will cover all the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the State during the Yatra. On February 27, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is expected to take part in the Yatra.