Retired IAS official and former member of the Lok Sabha from Amalapuram constituency K.S.R Murthy has said political parties in the State have failed the public in Andhra Pradesh badly and the only way of ascertaining the public opinion now is to advance the Assembly elections, as the term of the present Assembly will anyway expire in early 2014. Murthy served as the secretary to the Government of India.
He made the suggestion at the meeting of the non-political joint action committee for the preservation of the unity of Andhra Pradesh here on Monday. He said that he was making the suggestion as a neutral observer though he was a member of the Congress party and in the past had contested and won from Amalapuram Lok Sabha constituency in East Godavari. He said there was an upsurge of public anger over the decision of the Congress Working Committee to form the Telangana state and all the political parties had lost credibility.
He said, “I feel the only democratic course now open to the Union Government is to advance the polls to AP Assembly and let the people of the State decide on the bifurcation issue. Let all political parties make their stand clear to the public and let the Assembly election be a referendum on the issue. On the basis of the election result, the Union Government can take a decision.”
He said that personally he was in favour of smaller states for the sake of administrative convenience, but the decisions should not be taken on political considerations. “However, my opinion does not count. Nor that of any intellectual, or politician, or that of the political bosses in New Delhi. Let the common public of the three regions of the State decide what should be done with it and let the majority view prevail,” he said.
Balamohan Das, former Vice-Chancellor of Acharya Nagarjuna University and convener of the non-political JAC, said it would strive to exert pressure on the Union Government to roll back the decision on the formation of Telangana state. It would intensify the agitation in a peaceful manner and politicians were also free to participate in the programmes, without bringing in their party politics.
State Minister G. Srinivasa Rao, who submitted his resignation, said he would do his bit to preserve the unity of the State.
sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in