APCC president Y.S. Sharmila greeting the party cadres in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y.S. Sharmila has said that the BJP is “managing Andhra Pradesh” without winning a single MLA seat and it is possible due to its direct and indirect alliances with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Ms. Sharmila, who was on a two-day tour to north coastal Andhra Pradesh, held party cadre meetings in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts on January 24 (Wednesday) .
Addressing the party cadres, Ms. Sharmila described the YSRCP and the TDP as the “slaves” of the BJP.
“Though it does not have a single MLA in Andhra Pradesh, it appears the BJP is in power in the State due to its close association with the leaders of the regional parties. This is the reason why the TDP and the YSRCP do not bring pressure on the Centre to accord Special Category Status (SCS) to the State,” said Ms. Sharmila.
She said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, in the run-up to the 2019 elections, made a promise of getting the SCS for teh State if he won 25 MPs. “However, he forgot all his promises and commitments after assuming the office. Had the TDP and the YSRCP governments had esnured the grant of SCS, the State would have been developed in the last ten years. Now, the Congress is the only hope of the people. If the Congress is voted to power, Andhra Pradesh will get the SCS,” Ms. Sharmila said.
The Metro Rail project and new railway zone in Visakhapatnam still remain on paper, she lamented.
“There is no YSR government in Andhra Pradesh. The YSRCP government is not the YSR government. The ambitions of my father (Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy) were different. All his ambitions will be fulfilled if the Congress is voted to power. I appeal to you all (Congress cadres) to work for making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister,” Ms. Sharmila added.