The parliament has witnessed repeated disruptions over special status to Andhra Pradesh. (File)
Ruing lack of unity among the Andhra Pradesh MPs over the fight for special category status to the state, YSR Congress Party today said the centre was not heeding the demand seriously due to the disunity.
YSR Congress honorary president Y S Vijayamma, who is the wife of former AP Chief Minister late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and mother of the party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, lamented the lack of unity among the state MPs, while meeting her party MPs sitting on an indefinite hunger strike at AP Bhavan in New Delhi.
"In the past,
indefinite strikes were so effective that it attracted governments' attention and they responded to it. Today nothing is happening despite several attempts by the opposition parties," she said in an apparent reference to the denial of special status to the state by the centre with the Telugu Desam Party keeping off from YSR Congress MPs' hunger strike.
YSRCP is in opposition in Andhra Pradesh.
"Late Rajashekar Reddy used to tell us that only a united AP would have stronger voice as it would have more of people's representatives, a smaller state does not bring the requisite pressure. But the bifurcation was done so quickly and the promises made to the residual AP is yet to be fulfilled," she said.
It is sad, she said, that today even 25 MPs of Andhra Pradesh are not able to unite for the cause.
"I request everyone, including Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, to advise his MPs to join the hunger strike," she said.
Meanwhile, of the five
YSRP MPs sitting on the huger strike, Tirupati MP Varaprasad Rao had to be rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital today following complaints of uneasiness.
Mr Rao is the second MP who required medical attention a day after his colleague Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, 73 had to be taken to RML Hospital yesterday on complaints of uneasiness.
During her interaction with her party MPs, Vijayamma reiterated her party's stand on alliance and said, "Jagan had said he would align with any party that gives special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Whether it is Congress, BJP or the third front, he is ready to go to any extent to get the status."
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had yesterday offered support to the protesting YSRCP MPs, who began the hunger strike on April 6 after submitting their resignations to the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.