Jagan sets Special Category Status as 2019 poll plank

Amaravati: YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that his party would press for the Special Category Status as promised at the time of bifurcation of the State in 2013. He also asked the people to make the Special Category Status as referendum and election issue for the 2019 elections. He also advised the students and youth to keep fighting for Special Category Status. If police file cases against agitators, he promised to withdraw all cases against them after the 2019 elections when he forms the government.

Jagan Mohan Reddy made the students and youth to speak at the Yuva Garjana in Guntur on Thursday who shared their views in favour of Special Category Status. The youth also opposed the special package announced by the Central government and accepted by the State government.

 

Jagan Mohan Reddy said that special package should have been an additional advantage to the State and regretted that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had bartered the Special Category Status for the special package.



He alleged that the package would benefit the ruling party leaders while the Status would benefit the entire State.

The YSR Congress leader appealed to the students and youth to question the TDP and the BJP leaders who had gone back on their promise of giving Special Category Status. He recalled the promise of BJP leaders Narendra Modi and Venkaiah Naidu, TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu during their election meeting in Tirupathi. He also played the video clips of Venkaiah Naidu speaking in Rajya Sabha pressing for the Special Category Status, Narendra Modi and Chandrababu Naidu speaking at the election meeting in Tirupathi.

The YSR Congress leader also promised to reintroduce fee reimbursement and pay hostel fee for all students.  He said he would continue to fight for the rights of the State and that of the people. He wanted the students and youth to support him. He said he was ready to take up the Special Category Status demand as his election slogan for 2019 and his party MPs were ready to quit on the same demand.