'Jai Samaikyandhra' is Kiran Reddy's new party

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy's new political party will be Jai Samaikyandhra.

"Jai Samaikyandhra" or "Hail, united Andhra" was the slogan of those who opposed bifurcation of the state.

Addressing a news conference here Monday, he reiterated that his party would fight for the self-respect of Telugu people.

Kiran Reddy, who resigned as chief minister and quit the Congress last month to protest state's bifurcation, also announced that he is the president of the new party.

Chundru Srihari Rao is the founder president of the party as he had registered it with the state election commission. Kiran Reddy took over the same after talks with him.

G. Gangadhar is the general secretary of the party. L. Rajagopal, one of the six MPs expelled from Congress last month, will be party strategist.

Four other expelled MPs Sai Pratap, Sabbam Hari, V. Arun Kumar and G. Harsha Kumar rpt G. Harsha Kumar and two former state ministers S. Sailajanath and Pitani Satyanarayana will be the vice presidents of the party.

Kiran Reddy, who had announced formation of the party last week, said the policies and programmes of the party would be announced at its first public meeting at Rajahmundry on March 12.

He claimed to have received many applications from the aspirants of the party tickets to contest ensuing Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

Kiran Reddy reiterated that state's division would lead to severe electricity shortage in Telangana and water wars between Telangana and Seemandhra. He warned that people would revolt if they had to face problems due to the division.

He predicted that the movement for unification of the two states would start from Telangana. Showing a small stone, which he claimed to be from the Berlin Wall, he said people of East and West Germany razed the wall to unite and pointed out that there is not even a wall between Telangana and Seemandhra.

On Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu's call to to work with him for the welfare of Telugus, Kiran Reddy said it was Naidu who was responsible for the bifurcation.

He alleged that Naidu did not even open his mouth in the assembly to oppose the state reorganization bill

The former chief minister said the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party together betrayed the Telugu people.