Several senior Congress leaders, including former State and Union Ministers, took part in the relay fasts taken up by the party demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
In Srikakulam, former Union Minister Killi Kruparani and former Minister K. Muralimohan alleged that Narendra Modi government had betrayed people of Andhra Pradesh by conveniently forgetting the special status issue.
Mr Muralimohan and party leaders from Etcherla and Rajam participated in the hunger strike demanding immediate grant of special status and allocation funds as promised in AP Re-organization Act.
Former Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy, who participated in the relay fast in Anantapur, accused the State government of harming the larger interests of the State by bringing in the Pattiseema LI project while neglecting the Polavaram project.
He said Pattiseema LI project would be a great hindrance to the Polavaram project.
“There is more harm in the longer term (because of Pattiseema LI project) if it cancels out Polavaram from the picture, rather than the benefit,” argued Mr Reddy.
In Ongole, hundreds of Congress activists began a relay fast in front of the Prakasam Bhavan.
“We will not rest till the AP State Reorganisation Act and then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s assurances to the Rajya Sabha are implemented in letter and spirit by the Centre,” DCC president M. Ugra Narasimha Reddy said.
PCC secretary E. Sudhakar Reddy and city Congress President Sripathi Prakasam also spoke.
Meanwhile, in Kurnool supporters of Congress led by DCC President B.Y. Ramaiah staged protest resenting delay in announcing the package for Rayalaseema and other backward areas which was suggested in the State Reorganisation Bill. The Congress leaders garlanded the statue of Potti Sriramulu and paid tributes.
