Special status for Andhra Pradesh was the promise given on the floor of Parliament by the then Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. The idea behind granting special status to the state of Andhra Pradesh was motivated by the fact that in the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh, the entire industrial and commercial development was concentrated around the state capital, Hyderabad which now falls in the Telangana territory.
The “success” of Jallikattu agitation by people of Tamil Nadu, that forced Centre to clear an Ordinance permitting the bull sport, have inspired Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh who have now raised their voice for special category status (SCS) that has been “deprived” to the state, post bifurcation.
The Congress wanted Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to lead a movement for securing SCS to AP. A member of Rajya Sabha K.V.P Ramchandra Rao said that,“If a movement is launched under their leadership, all political parties, media, industry, film industry and other sectors and intellectuals besides students and youth will follow you. As the Budget session of Parliament will begin towards the end of this month, you should announce an action plan to exert pressure on the Centre and secure our legitimate rights”.
The bandh called by Opposition parties demanding Special Category State status for Andhra Pradesh is being observed in all the important cities and towns of the State. While most of the educational institutions remained closed in Vijayawada, only a few of the business and other establishments pulled down their shutters. Leaders and activists who have been trying to stop APSRTC buses and other vehicles have been taken into custody in Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Tirupati as well.
The youth of Andhra Pradesh have decided to protest peacefully on 26th of January on the famous R.K Beach. This protest will be accompanied with black flags and black t-shirts. No flags and logos of political parties will be allowed in the protest. A lot of Tollywood actors are supporting the protest silently and all the youth of AP have full support from the Telangana people. Actors like Nani and Varun Tej are supporting the protest by expressing their feelings in their tweets. Pawan kalian tweeted that the Janasena party supports those people who want to protest silently for AP’s special status. People are coming up with memes and banners to show their support towards the silent protest. Now all we do is wait and hope for positive results for the special status for Andhra Pradesh.
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