Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President N. Raghuveera Reddy and dozens of party leaders and cadres were arrested when they were canvassing for their party and asking people not to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Paraty in Bihar, on Platform 1 of the Secunderabad Railway Station on Sunday morning.
In what was undoubtedly a novel protest and the first-of-its-kind here, the party cadres held placards and tied flexis and banners to the Patna Express, as the leaders spoke to passengers on the train, those hailing from Bihar as well as Telugu-speaking people living in Bihar. They said the Bharatiya Janata Party had cheated people of AP and warned that a similar fate would befall Bihar if people there voted for the BJP in the coming elections.
Mr. Raghuveera Reddy pointed out the AP experience with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how they had denied the State the special package that was promised before proceeding with the bifurcation of the State. He pointed out that although Mr. Modi had promised Bihar a financial package to the tune of Rs. 1.25 lakh crore, a major chunk of it comprised funds under regular Central Government schemes.
Those who participated in the protest included General Secretaries Janga Goutham and T.J.R. Sudhakar Babu, Korivi Vinay Kumar (Chairman SC Cell) and Ali Khan (Chairman Minorities Cell), Ranga Reddy District Congress President Kyama Mallesh and spokespersons Ganga Bhavani and C. Tulsi Reddy. They chose to enter several coaches and urged people not to make a mistake they would regret till the next elections.
Later, speaking to presspersons, Mr. Reddy said that accompanied by five party MPs from AP, he would be proceeding to Bihar this evening and participate in the election campaign at Patna on Monday.
Replying to a question on corruption in AP, Mr. Raghuveera Reddy said that Saturday’s comments by Telugu Desam MLA from Anantapur district, J.C. Prabhakara Reddy about admitting corruption was an alarming sign of things in the State. “This is something that party President and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu should explain to people. He should also apologise to them. Does his silence mean that he endorses his party MLA’s statement ?,” the Congress leader fumed.
