Andhra CM Naidu embarks on day-long fast over special status

Suresh Dharur
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, April 20

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who turned 68 on Friday, began a day-long fast at Vijayawada to protest against denial of special category status to the state.

A large number of people thronged the venue—Indira Gandhi municipal stadium—where Naidu would be on hunger strike till 7 pm to highlight the Central government’s failure to fulfil the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act four years ago.

Christened as ‘Dharma Porata Deeksha’, Naidu’s move is widely seen as a step aimed at wresting the initiative from the opposition YSR Congress whose MPs have already resigned from the Lok Sabha over special status issue.

After garlanding the photos of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule and NTR, the Chief Minister commenced the Deeksha at 7 am.

Several ministers, including Naidu’s son and IT Minister N Lokesh, also joined him in the day-long fast. Earlier, Naidu received blessings from leaders of all faiths.

The leaders of the ruling Telugu Desam Party and its frontal organisations are also observing the fast across the state.
Earlier, in an open letter to the people of the state, Naidu pointed out how the Centre had turned a blind eye to the needs of the people and failed to implement the promises made in the bifurcation act of 2014.

The TDP has sent out letters to leaders of various parties, seeking their support to the Deeksha so that a strong message would go to the Centre.

Elaborate seating and other arrangements are made at the venue of the hunger strike to accommodate over 10,000 people. A special dais has been erected for nearly 250 people observing the fast along with the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues.

“The Centre’s callous and indifferent attitude has forced the chief minister to undertake the fast. The people of the state feel cheated and betrayed by the Union government. It is to give voice to people’s anger and frustration that the chief minister is undertaking this Deeksha,” a release from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

After pulling out his representatives from the union cabinet and ending his party’s alliance with the BJP last month, Naidu has been stepping up attack on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP leadership for failing to implement the commitments made in the Bifurcation Act.

The political parties in AP are vying with one another to prove their commitment to fighting for special status to the state. There is a growing public anger against denial of special status and other benefits promised to the state at the time of division.

Meanwhile, YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy dubbed ‘drama’ the Chief Minister’s fast and said such gimmicks would not bring about any real change.

Jagan, who is on a 3,000-km-long padayatra covering all 13 districts in the state, alleged that Naidu and his TDP had failed to get justice to the state despite being part of the NDA government for four long years.