‘Seemandhra MLAs should put collective effort to keep State united’

President may return the ‘T’ Bill for reconsideration of the Government, says Ashok Babu

VISAKHAPATNAM (ANDHRA PRADESH) 23-10-2013: APNGO's Association President P. Ashok Babu speaking at a meeting with NGOs in Visakhapatnam on October 23, 2013.

All MLAs from Seemandhra should either meet President Pranab Mukherjee or send him letters to prevail upon him to consider the majority view of the people against bifurcation of the State, said AP NGOs Association president Ashok Babu.

The collective effort by the MLAs will definitely have an impact and the President might return the Bill for reconsideration of the government. Legal experts gave this advice when we approached them in this regard. We will meet MLAs of all parties in Seemandhra region and seek their support in this regard, he told a media conference here on Wednesday.

Action plan

He said that an action plan was chalked out to carry forward the agitation programme that was suspended temporarily. The association leaders and JAC activists would meet the farmers at the mandal-level and enlighten them on the disadvantages of bifurcation of the State. These programmes would go on till November 5. The JAC leaders would meet the national leaders of all political parties in Delhi during the second week of November and prevail upon them to respect the sentiments of the people of Seemandhra.

Mr. Ashok Babu said that all the JAC groups like teachers, municipal employees and RTC would be mobilised once again to resume the strike, if the Group of Ministers decides to go ahead with the bifurcation process.

He said it was unfortunate that the Ministers, MPs and MLAs from Seemandhra were not resigning and offering flimsy excuses for staying on, he appealed to them not to fool around with the people by issuing statements to belittle the Samaikyandhra movement.

He said it was the responsibility of the people’s representatives to resign and support their movement for a united State. People have lost faith in the political parties and said that the JAC would continue its stir without directly involving the political parties.

Replying to queries, he said that JAC would not support any political party till the completion of the agitation. “We don’t need to carry any political party,” he said.

He ruled out the possibility of bifurcation before the 2014 general elections on the ground that the support of all parties was needed in the Assembly. He recalled that no new State was formed without a resolution in the Assembly.

AP NGOs Association general secretary Chandrasekhar Reddy and AP Revenue Services Association leader P. Venkateswara Rao also spoke.