Rahul Gandhi has no moral right to step into Andhra Pradesh, says BJP leader Somu Veerraju

The Congress party had done grave injustice to the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh at the time of bifurcation and betrayed its cause, alleges Somu Veerraju

BJP State president Somu Veerraju addressing the media in Ongole on Thursday. | Photo Credit: KOMMURI SRINIVAS

All India Congress Committee (AICC) leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a Bharat Jodo Yatra, has no moral right to step into the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh after betraying its cause at the time of bifurcation, according to BJP State president Somu Veerraju.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, Mr. Veerraju alleged that the Congress party had done ''grave injustice'' to the residuary State at the time of bifurcation.

The Congress party’s promise to ensure Special Category Status (SCS) to the State after 2024 elections should be taken with a pinch of salt, he opined.

“What prevented the Congress-led government at the Centre to include SCS in the State Reorganisation Act?” Mr. Veerraju asked.

Conceding Dummugudem to Telangana at the time of bifurcation of the unified Andhra Pradesh had led to denial of a major lift irrigation scheme as envisaged by former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to benefit the parched parts of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Veerraju said.

The BJP leader demanded an apology from Mr. Gandhi for not merging Bhadrachalam, the abode of Lord Sri Rama, with the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh. The Bhadrachalam revenue division had been a part of the combined Godavari district earlier, he said.

Liberal aid

The BJP-led government at the Centre, on the other hand, treated Andhra Pradesh as a special State and provided liberal assistance to the tune of ₹8.16 lakh crore for various projects, Mr. Veerraju said.

All the Central educational and other institutions promised in the Reorganisation Act had been set up. The Central assistance to Andhra Pradesh was more when compared to the assistance provided to States such as Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, he said.

The BJP would step up its agitation against the “tyrannical Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the State,” which, Mr. Veerraju alleged, made the lives of people miserable by failing on all fronts and triggering “violent conflicts” on the streets.

The State BJP unit had kept its Central leadership fully informed about the political developments in the State, including denial of the democratic right of Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan to conduct the Jana Vani programme in Visakhapatnam.

‘Alliance with JSP intact’

Replying to a question, Mr, Veerraju said the BJP’s alliance with the JSP was intact in the State. “The TDP has extended support to the JSP only for protecting democracy,” he said when asked about the bonhomie between the leaders of the two regional parties and whether it would lead to political realignment in the State..

Referring to the series of attacks on Hindu places of worship in the State, the latest being the one at the historic Siva temple at Kanaparthi in Prakasam district, Mr. Veerraju alleged that the attacks were on the rise in the State during the YSRCP regime.

It was unfortunate that no stern action had been taken to prevent recurrence of such attacks, which hurt the religious sentiments of the people, he said.