Hyderabad, July 09: Without taking a clear stand on whether it supports or opposes the demand for a separate Telangana state, the YSR Congress Party Saturday said it respects the sentiments of people from all regions of Andhra Pradesh on the issue.
Under pressure from both supporters of a separate Telangana state and a united Andhra, party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy avoided taking any side.
“We don’t have power to either give Telangana or to stop it,” the young leader told the first plenary of the party at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district, the home turf of the late chief minister Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy and his family.
Terming Telangana as a sensitive issue, Jagan, as the YSR Congress Party leader is popularly known, said he could not go against the sentiments of any region.
Blaming the central government for the mess, he alleged that it was playing with people’s lives. The parliament member from Kadapa also urged the central government to take a decision acceptable to all.
Jagan also lashed out at both the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for adopting double standards on the issue.
Like Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy of the Congress and Leader of Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu of the TDP, Jagan also comes from the Rayalaseema region, a part of Andhra.
Political observers say by stating that he respected the sentiments of Telangana people, Jagan followed in the footsteps of his father and late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
His decision on Telangana issue was awaited by all since he floated the party in March.
Earlier, the issue dominated the proceedings on the last day of the plenary with party workers from the region demanding that Jagan support the demand for a separate state.
Activists from the Telangana region raised slogans and showed placards.
There was commotion at the venue for sometime as leaders and activists from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions opposed the demand for the state’s bifurcation. Holding pictures of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, they urged Jagan to take a stand for ‘samakhiya Andhra’ or united Andhra.
Earlier Saturday morning, he held a meeting with his party leaders from Telangana region. Jagan is reported to have favoured formation of a separate state but stressed the need to do it in an amicable way.
—IANS