Jagan Reddy meets Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi to seek support for united Andhra Pradesh

YSR Congress Party chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and DMK leader M Karunanidhi.

"I have met both leaders and explained to them in detail the need to amend Article 3. They listened to me and felt that it is an important issue to be addressed," he told media here today.

He asked the two leaders not to see this as an issue of Andhra Pradesh alone but to rethink and voice their opinion and protect democracy.

"If leaders are quiet now, Andhra Pradesh will set a precedent and any party in power at the Centre with 272 MPs at their disposal can split any state according to its whims and fancies without taking the assembly into consideration," he added.

He further accused the Congress of bringing in the Rayal Telangana issue so that it can get a simple majority in the assembly.

"Congress has no clarity on what it is doing and wants to divide the state for the sake of votes and seats," he said.

"The State cannot be divided for the sake of political gains, the assembly and people's sentiments should be taken into consideration," he added.

Jagan Reddy also said that the division of Andhra Pradesh is not healthy as there are contentious issues like the state capital and sharing of river waters.

"My Party has just three MPs in the Parliament. I am trying to consolidate people who stand for democratic principles, and raise their voice when it is most needed. I need every voice that supports democracy to come forward," he said.

Reacting to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that the Government is committed to the formation of Telangana, Reddy said: "It is for the Parliament to decide. My exercise is to tell people how the article 3 is being misused and ask them to vociferously oppose the move."

Jagan Reddy has earlier met, leaders of BJP, CPI, CPI(M), JD(U), BJD, Shiv Sena and others to mobilize opinion against the misuse of Article 3 and the way in which Andhra Pradesh is being split without an assembly resolution.