Congress MLC M. Sudhakar Babu and former Zilla Parishad chairman A. Venkataswamy came down on Telugu Desam Party central disciplinary committee member Somisetty Venkateswarlu on Friday for his tirade against UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Union Minister Kotla Jayasuryaprakash Reddy and burning their flexis on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, they said Ms. Sonia Gandhi had incorporated the provision for special category status for Andhra Pradesh for five years in the AP Reorganisation Act, and BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu had demanded SCS for 10 years then, but he was mum on the issue subsequently. They wondered as to why the TDP leader was now faulting Congress leaders for demanding the benefits promised to the State.
The TDP and the YSRC stayed away from nine crucial meetings conducted by the UPA government prior to bifurcation, they said. However, four Congress leaders from the State - Jayasuryaprakash Reddy, K. Chiranjeevi, J.D. Seelam and Pallam Raju - attended the meetings and voiced the demand for SCS and special package for Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra, they recalled.
The Congress rank and file in AP opposed Ms. Gandhi’s decision to bifurcate the State and staged hunger strike for 60 days. On the other hand, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu claimed in public meetings in Warangal and Mahabubnagar districts that he was instrumental in the creation of Telangana, but indulged in double speak in A.P. by blaming the Congress for bifurcation, the Congress leaders said.
They charged the Chief Minister with failing to curb illicit sand mining by ruling party leaders leading to steep rise in sand prices and for clearing the left-over stocks in Heritage Foods, owned by Mr. Naidu, for supplying sops to some sections.
