Jagan gives call for AP bandh on July 24

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday gave a call for a statewide bandh on Tuesday against the way the Centre dodged the issue of granting Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh (AP) during the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Addressing media in Kakinada on the sidelines of his 'Padayatra', Jagan said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which moved the motion, failed in impressing the Centre to grant SCS as it took a U-turn after ratifying the Centre’s alternative plan of a granting a package.

“The prime minister has used the same pretext to escape from his responsibility to grant SCS as Chandrababu Naidu’s government even moved a thanksgiving motion in the AP Assembly, hitting a self-goal,” Jagan pointed out.

He said the only option in front of the chief minister is to now ask his MPs to resign and sit on an indefinite hunger strike.

“The Centre will take note if all the 25 MP s from the state quit and demand in one voice,” he said.

Jagan, also the leader of the Opposition in the AP Assembly, further said that Guntur MP Galla Jayadev’s opening speech in the Loksabha is nothing but a copy of YSRCP’s argument in favour of SCS.

Responding to Jagan's media address, Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswar Rao said that how can the fight for SCS continue in Parliament if everyone quits and sits at home.

“YSRCP MLAs won't attend Assembly, MPs won't attend Parliament. Then how will they air their point of view,” Rao wondered.