Call off Samaikhyandhra agitation: Raghuveera
Revenue Minister Dr N Raghuveera Reddy on Monday appealed to the employees, students and other groups to call off Samaikhyandhra agitation on immediate basis.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress Legislature Party office here, Raghuveer Reddy said that the ongoing agitation has been creating problems for the common people. Stating that the sowing season was on, he said that the farmers were facing problems of securing fertilizers, seeds, subsidy and other benefits due to the strike. Similarly, lakhs of students in Seemandhra region might lose their academic year if the strike is not withdrawn immediately. Poor people are unable to access the treatment due to strike by health and transport employees, he said.
Assuring that the Seemandhra leaders would take the responsibility of preventing the division of Andhra Pradesh, he demanded all the activists and organisation to withdraw the agitation immediately.
Raghuveera also ruled out the demand for resignation of ministers and legislators from the post. He said that resignation would not solve the problem and it would only facilitate the Centre to impose President's Rule in the State. He said instead of losing the access to the High Command which could reverse the decision on Telangana formation, it was better to continue on posts and fight for united State. He said representations have already been made to the AK Antony Committee and it has been requested to allow free debate in the Legislative Assembly on Telangana Bill without issuing any party whip.
He ignored a question about the dharna by Seemandhra legislators in the Assembly premises on Tuesday.
Raghuveera also accused the Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress party of trying to portray Congress party and its president Sonia Gandhi as guilty for dividing the State. He said all the parties, except CPI (M) and MIM, favored the demand for Telangana and gave letters to the Centre. Stating that only Congress party could not be blamed for the decision, he asked the TDP and YSRCP to clarify whether they were withdrawing their letters sent to the Centre.
The minister said that TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu even demanded Rs 5 lakh crore package for the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. However, when the agitation reached its peak, he took a U-turn and started speaking against the decision. He said the TRS and BJP too do not want formation of Telangana as they would lose their sole agenda in the region.
Ministers - Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Vatti Vasanth Kumar and Kondru Murali Mohan, Government Whip in Council Rudraraju Padmaraju and senior MLA Gade Venkat Reddy were also present.