Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, will carry out protests against the Central Government to get the latter to grant the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh (AP.) These protests will be held from the 1st of February to the 13th of February.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP,) the ruling Government in Andhra Pradesh, is demanding the SCS as per the provisions of the AP State Reorganisation Act, 2014. The AP Government is asking for the same since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into the State of Telangana and the State of Andhra Pradesh in the year 2014. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Central Government did not grant the SCS to Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Naidu, on the 30th of January, conducted a meeting with all the Parties in order to discuss the matter and pressure the Central Government to grant the SCS to Andhra Pradesh. However, the JanaSena Party, the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP,) the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were not a part of this meeting.
Mr. Naidu criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, “When I met then US President Bill Clinton, I addressed him as Mr. Clinton, not as ‘sir’. Modi is my junior in politics. But when he came (to power), I addressed him as sir 10 times. I did this for the sake of the State and to satisfy his ego in the hope that he will do justice to the State (sic.)”
Naidu further alleged Prime Minister Modi and his Government of personal rivalry. He went on to say, as he was the first one to ask Mr. Modi to resign as the Chief Minister of Gujarat after the Gujarat riots in 2001, Modi is targeting the State of Andhra Pradesh and taking revenge.
In order to conduct the protests, Mr. Naidu also organised a Join Action Committee (JAC.) The JAC is named ‘Pratyeka Hoda, Vibhajana Hamila Sadhana.’ The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP,) the Members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly (MLAs,) the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP,) the Samajwadi Party (SP,) the Pratyeka Hoda Sadhana Samithi and other smaller parties will be a part of the JAC.
However, Chalasani Srinivas, the President of Pratyeka Hoda Sadhana Samiti, who was also a part of the meeting, asked Naidu to get support from Pawan Kalyan, the JanaSena leader, and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the YSRCP leader.
Mr. Naidu said, “I have asked national leaders to support us in the protest. I don’t think the Union Government reacts positively but we have to pursue the things consistently.”
During his protests in Delhi, on the 11th of February, Chandrababu Naidu will sit on a one day dharna (strike,) known as ‘Deeksha,’ to seek the granting of the Special Category Status to AP. The protests will overlap with the Budget Session of the Parliament.
Later, on the 12th of February, Mr. Naidu is scheduled to meet Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India, to submit a memorandum regarding the SCS.
Stay tuned for further updates.
