Rahul and Akhilesh address Special status assurance public meeting in Amaravati

For the first time, AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav and other like-minded national leaders shared a dais in residual Andhra Pradesh demanding special category status for the state as assured by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the floor of Rajya Sabha.

The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee organised the meeting at the Andhra Muslim College grounds in Guntur, on Sunday in which JDU leader Sharad Yadav, CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, and D Raja, DMK leader Ilangovan attended. Suravaram demanded the state Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to take an all-party delegation to Prime Minister to secure special category for the state. 

"Special status was a promise made by not just PM but the whole cabinet. I really don't know why AP CM and Jaganmohan Reddy don't want that status," Rahul said. "PM



says that he wants to protect Hinduism, but Modi made that promise in the holy temple city of Tirupati. What kind of Hindu he is who lies in front of God Balaji," Rahul said.

"The Modi government's is brimming with cash from recent demonetization. I ask him to allocate a part of it for AP," Akhilesh said adding that nation needs young leadership. "Here also there is a government run by TDP with cycle symbol. But know this only Rahul and I are fit to ride the cycle," Akhilesh said.

However, at the Gannavaram airport, Telugu Desam Party workers raised slogans against Rahul holding Congress responsible for state's bifurcation. Several TDP leaders were taken into custody for trying to enter the hotel where Rahul was staying. At the airport Rahul was received by Digvijaya Singh, APCC Chief Raghuveera Reddy, Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao and former minister Pallam Raju.