Traffic was blocked on the national highways in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, with political parties led by the Left protesting the Centre’s refusal to grant the special category status (SCS) to the State.
The rasta roko, which went on for a few hours, was supported by all parties barring the BJP. It was peaceful at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur and most other places in the State. At several places, the police diverted traffic for a period of 1-2 hours.
The leaders of the Left parties, the Congress, the YSR Congress and other organisations that took part in the blockade were severely critical of the NDA Government for “going back on the promises made during the bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha in 2014, and for not implementing the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.”
Chalasani Srinivas, an activist clamouring for the SCS, said: “It has now become a people’s movement and not merely a tussle between political parties. The Centre should heed to the call of the people of AP and honour the promises and implement all the provisions of the AP Re-organisation Act, 2014, in letter and spirit.”
CM’s allegations
Speaking in the Legislative Council on Thursday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said “a conspiracy” was being “hatched to stall the mega Polavaram project on the Godavari”. Responding vehemently to the serious allegation, BJP member PVN Madhavdenied that the Centre had any such plans. The CM’s charges against the BJP government were unfortunate, he said.
The Chief Minister refuted the charges made by Jana Sena Party leader Pawan Kalyan, YSR Congress leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy and the BJP leaders on the Polavaram and the Pattiseema lift irrigation projects.
He demanded that all the industrial incentives being given to the North-East States be accorded to Andhra Pradesh, and questioned the claims of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on SCS.