Alleging that the development of the North Andhra has been dismal despite availability of resources due to the apathy of the people’s representatives from the region, the Forum for Development of North Andhra (FDNA) has demanded that the political parties must make their stand clear on the issue ahead of the elections.
Releasing a booklet titled ‘Uttarandhra Manifesto 2024’ at Alluri Vignana Kendram at Dabagardens on April 17 (Wednesday), its general secretary A. Aja Sarma and member K.M. Kumara Mangalam said that the booklet brought out by the forum in Telugu languge carried the ‘development agenda’ for the all-round prosperity of the region.
Adressing the media on the occasion, Mr. Aja Sarma called upon the candidates of all political parties to make their stand clear on the development of the region. He called upon all political parties to include issues pertaining to region in their election manifestos.
“The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has failed to honour the promises made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The region has witnessed zero development in the last 10 years. Neither does the ruling YSRCP government nor the TDP and the JSP seem to be bothered about the issue,” he said.
He said that the Narendra Modi government refused to grant Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and it had been dodging the operationalisation of the Visakhapatnam-headquartered South Coast Railway (SCoR) zone. Then it announced the proposal for the strategic sale of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP).
“TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu, during his recent election campaign in Visakhapatnam district, skipped the issue. The TDP and the JSP are doing injustice to the State by allying with the BJP. The YSRCP is also going head over heels to please the BJP,” said Mr. Sarma.
The FDNA general secretary also called upon the people to stand for the development of North Andhra by defeating these parties. “The candidates of all political parties should clear their stand on the construction of water projects, withdrawal of the VSP privatisation proposal and strengthening of the public sector, environment protection, implementation of 1/70 Act in the tribal areas and provision of legal status to G.O. no. 3, provision of basic amenities and strengthening of education and health in the government sector and implementation of the promises made in the A.P. Reorganisation Act,” he added.
