Jagan accuses govt for dividing Andhra Pradesh

YSR Congress President Jaganmohan Reddy on Monday launched a sit down protest at Jantar Mantar against the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

"Andhra Pradesh is being bifurcated against the will of the people. Why the democratic norms are being set aside? Tomorrow, any prime minister with 272 lawmakers could break any state at their whims and fancies. It will not stop at Andhra. They will break more states in future," he said.

Meanwhile, veteran BJP patriarch L. K. Advani said his party sympathizes with the concerns of the people of Seemandhra, it will not oppose the Telangana bill.

Earlier on Monday, Reddy and thousands of Seemandhra government employees gathered in New Delhi to participate in an anti-Telangana agitation.

Due to security concerns, three metro stations have been shut till evening in the heart of the city.

The government recently approved the creation of Telangana, a move that has revived deep political divisions in Andhra Pradesh and raised fears of violence in the area between pro and anti Telangana groups.

"All the national parties also have now realised that the UPA government has vehemently been bulldozing this AP Reorganization bill in the Parliament to gain political mileage. And now we are holding this meeting to bring the national attention and to bring all national parties about the plight of the Andhra Pradesh division and most of the people, nearly 80 percent of the Andhra Pradesh people, do not want the division of the state. So we want to let the national parties and the national media know that the division is undemocratic and unconstitutional," said Ashok Babu from Seemandhra.