YSR Congress seeks justice to all regions before division

YSR Congress party leaders Tuesday called on President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging them to keep Andhra Pradesh united, if the government can't do equal justice to all regions of the state.

A delegation of the party leaders led by party's honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma met the president and the prime minister separately in the national capital and submitted memorandums to them.

Vijayamma told reporters that they stressed the need for the government to find a solution to all the problems raised by people, before going ahead with the bifurcation.

Leaders of Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers (APNGOs) Association, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) employees and students also called on the prime minister and urged him to keep the state united.

APNGOs Association president Ashok Babu told reporters that Manmohan Singh assured them that the government would constitute a committee to address their concerns.

The prime minister also advised them to bring their issues to the notice of A.K.Antony committee constituted by the Congress.

The prime minister, however, did not give any assurance on the leaders' demand that Congress Working Committee (CWC) take back its July 30 decision to carve out separate Telangana state.

Vijayamma's son and YSR Congress party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy continued his indefinite fast in Chanchalguda jail in Hyderabad for the third day, to oppose state's division without ensuring justice to all regions.

Jagan, as the MP from Kadapa is popularly known, is in jail for over a year in disproportionate assets case.

Some youth leaders and activists of YSR Congress staged a 'half-naked' protest outside the jail to show solidarity with Jagan. Police arrested the protestors.

Protests against Congress party's decision to carve out separate Telangana state continued for the 28th day in Seemandhra, as Rayalaseema and Andhra regions are together known.

Over four lakh government employees and two lakh teachers continued their indefinite strike in all 13 districts of Rayalaseema. Over 12,000 buses of APSRTC also remained off the roads.

Seemandhra employees continued their protest at state secretariat, the seat of governance, and some other key government offices in Hyderabad. Parallel protests by Seemandhra and Telangana employees led to tension.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma said police would not allow outsiders to participate in the protests in government offices.

Meanwhile, Telangana Joint Action Committee decided to stage protests across Telangana during the first week of September to press the demand for speeding up the process for formation of separate state.

JAC convenor M. Kodandaram urged the central government to immediately table a bill in the parliament for formation of Telangana state.