TDP stitches together JAC to take on Centre

Amaravati: In an act that can be the best described as better late than never, the ruling TDP, social organisations, employees’ organisations and other like-minded groups on Wednesday decided to form a Joint Action Committee to continue the fight for the rights of Andhra Pradesh. Henceforth the JAC would be leading all the agitations to put pressure on the Centre.

Unlike the Telangana JAC or in Tamil Nadu when all political parties bury their hatchets and unite, here parties like YSRCP, Congress, BJP, Jana Sena and left-wing parties refused to attend the meeting.

When asked about it, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu who chaired the meeting said they seem to be more concerned about political advantages to their respective parties than come under one umbrella for a single cause that would help the state develop faster.

The JAC, which discussed at length all the issues and political turns and twists that took place since bifurcation of the state, decided to take up agitational programmes unitedly till the elections and then resume it after the new government was formed at the Centre.

It has been decided to hold series of protests across the state for 13 days starting from February 1. On February 12, a day before the Parliament session ends, the JAC members will stage protest near the Parliament House and will submit a memorandum to President of India Ramnath Kovind the next day listing out how the Centre had failed to help the state and implement the provisions of AP State Re-organisation Act 2014.

The issue of the proposed state-wide bandh call on February 1 by Pratyeka Hoda Sadhana Samiti also figured in the meeting. Naidu is said to have expressed the view that it could send a negative signal to the investors and hence a new mode of agitation should be devised.

Responding to a demand by the participants, Naidu said that the government will lift all the cases that were booked against those who participated in the united Andhra agitation. He said the issue would be put before the cabinet for approval on Thursday and soon a GO would be issued.

Chandrababu Naidu presented the details of what was due to the state from the Centre. He said the state should have got Rs 1.16 lakh crore since 2014.