Activists of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and civil society organisations on Friday staged a Satyagaraha to press for special category status (SCS) for the State.
The protesters also demanded a special development package for Prakasam district.
Leading the protest, CPI district secretary K. Aruna blamed the Centre for delaying the grant of special category status. SCS Sadanai Samiti district convenor Shamsheer Ahamad said Andhra Pradesh would not be able to attract industries in a big way without SCS. “The State met three of the five parameters under the Gadgil Formula for becoming eligible for SCS, Forum for Good Governance president T. Gopal Reddy said.
Prakasam District Development Forum leader Ch. Seshaiah attributed the current woes of the State to Hyderabad-centric development and said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was paying just lip service to the cause of dispersed development, by focusing only on the Vijayawada-Guntur region, Visakhapatnam and Chittoor districts for grounding new Central industrial projects and educational institutions.
Demonstration
In Kurnool, Congress MLC M. Sudhakar Babu and District Congress Committee president B.Y. Ramaiah led a demonstration at Gandhi statue before the Collector’s office here on Friday demanding that the Centre accord special category status (SCS) to the State.
They also sought a special package for Rayalaseema and expeditious completion of Polavaram project for diverting water to Rayalaseema. They wanted implementation of all the promises made in the A.P. Reorganisation Act.
The Congressmen raised slogans against Central and State governments and charged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with lacking sincerity in achieving the special category status for the State.
