Allaying the fears of a separate statehood, YSR Congress has said that all is not over with the cabinet giving its nod to the draft Bill but there is enough time to fight back to keep the state united.
“Cabinet giving the nod for a separate State has increased our responsibility to put up a stern fight against the division and strengthen our resolve to fight for Samaikyandhra,” party spokesperson Vasireddy Padma told reporters here on Saturday.
This is the time to be united and show our strength to Delhi as the Congress and TDP have miserably failed in keeping the State united. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been moving from pillar to post to seek support from national and regional party leaders to stall the division process and mobilizing opinion for amending article 3 so that it cannot be misused by the Party in power at the Centre.
The bandh call given by YSR Congress has evoked very good response on the second day as well, she said. Though the State and Union Ministers and Congress leaders have given up, the battle is far from over, rather it has just begun, she said. “Being integrationists, our responsibility has increased and YSR Congress will take the fight in to the opponents’ camp,” she said.
There is no consensus among the political parties and the consent of the assembly is not taken which is why there is every possibility that the division process will stop, she said.
There are many phases after the nod given by the cabinet. It has to reach the President and he has to send it to the Assembly which has to discuss and send it to Parliament where there would also be a debate and should go for President’s assent. The possibility of Court intervention is also not ruled out.
“We firmly believe that the Bill will be stopped at some stage or the other and the decision on division has to stall. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is working hard to keep the State united,” she said. Our leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been demanding the Centre to hold elections as a referendum to the division issue. She said that YSR Congress will stand for a united state and fight the election on that plank and people’s mandate will prevail.
“There is need to hold 2014 elections as a referendum as the assembly consent was not taken before taking the decision on division. Our leader has challenged that we will win more than 30 seats and prove to the nation that majority of the people wanted the State to be united,” she said.
“This the time for all integrationists to brave the storm and fight it out as it is not the end of the tunnel and there is light beyond it. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is leading the movement for a united State and he is getting all round support,” she said.
Congress leaders of Seemandhra are speaking as if they are not party to the division and they belong to a different group. If they are not in agreement with the CWC decision, they should have quit the Party and expressed their protest.
After the cabinet nod, expressing their anguish is nothing short of theatrics and all is happening with the full knowledge of the high command and the disappointment and pathos that is being exhibited is only for public consumption.
The Congress leaders of the State are party to every decision the high command has taken and this was told by Digvijay Singh himself, she said.
The double standards of TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu have been thoroughly exposed with second rung leaders of both regions speaking on regional lines while the Party President is maintaining stoic silence. (INN)