File photo of Jagan Mohan Reddy
Hyderabad:
The YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy will hold a public meeting in support of a united Andhra Pradesh in Hyderabad today, the first by any political party in the state capital to oppose the central government's decision to turn Telangana into India's 29th state.
''Bifurcation is a very important issue for everyone in the state, so we have to go ahead,'' the 40-year-old leader is quoted to have said, ahead of his meeting at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in the city.
It will also be the first public gathering that Mr Reddy will address since he left jail late last month. He spent more than a year in prison after being charged with corruption. The CBI's investigation against him continues and he is out on bail but is not allowed to travel out of Hyderabad.
The Andhra Pradesh High court has allowed the meeting to be held between 2 to 5 pm on the condition that Mr Reddy will not deliver a 'provocative' speech and no rally should be taken out before and after the meeting.
Special trains and buses have been arranged to bring people from all parts of the state.
Attempting to project his party as the sole champion of a 'United Andhra', the YSR Congress chief has accused both Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu of betraying the people of Seemandhra - the regions of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, which are vehemently opposed to splitting Andhra Pradesh.
With some pro-Telangana groups having threatened to disrupt the public meeting, police have made necessary security arrangements.
However, Telangana Rashtriya Samithi leader K Chandrasekhar Rao has said that since the constitutional process for the bifurcation of the state has already begun, his party is not worried about Jagan's meeting being conducted in Hyderabad.
''Bifurcation is a very important issue for everyone in the state, so we have to go ahead,'' the 40-year-old leader is quoted to have said, ahead of his meeting at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in the city.
It will also be the first public gathering that Mr Reddy will address since he left jail late last month. He spent more than a year in prison after being charged with corruption. The CBI's investigation against him continues and he is out on bail but is not allowed to travel out of Hyderabad.
The Andhra Pradesh High court has allowed the meeting to be held between 2 to 5 pm on the condition that Mr Reddy will not deliver a 'provocative' speech and no rally should be taken out before and after the meeting.
Special trains and buses have been arranged to bring people from all parts of the state.
Attempting to project his party as the sole champion of a 'United Andhra', the YSR Congress chief has accused both Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu of betraying the people of Seemandhra - the regions of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema, which are vehemently opposed to splitting Andhra Pradesh.
With some pro-Telangana groups having threatened to disrupt the public meeting, police have made necessary security arrangements.
However, Telangana Rashtriya Samithi leader K Chandrasekhar Rao has said that since the constitutional process for the bifurcation of the state has already begun, his party is not worried about Jagan's meeting being conducted in Hyderabad.
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