YSR Congress honorary president, YS Vijayamma, who is the wife of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, met with her party MPs on Sunday as they sat on a hunger strike in New Delhi demanding special status to their state.
Pointing out that the Centre was not listening to the demand by the state's MPs, Vijayamma, who is also the mother of party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy, said that there was a lack of unity in Andhra Pradesh over the demand for Special Category Status (SCS)
"In the past, indefinite strikes were so effective that it attracted governments' attention and they responded to it. Today nothing is happening despite several attempts by the Opposition parties. Late Rajashekar Reddy used to tell us that only a united AP would have a stronger voice. The bifurcation was done so quickly and the promises made to the residual AP is yet to be fulfilled," she was quoted as saying.
"I request everyone, including AP CM Chandrababu Naidu, to advise his TDP MPs to join the hunger strike," she added.
Speaking about her son, she said, "Jagan has categorically said that the fight will continue till his last breath and there will be no compromise. The state was divided to weaken the bargaining power."
Meanwhile, in another development on Sunday, Tirupati MP V Varaprasada Rao was forcefully shifted to the hospital on Sunday morning after doctors said that his health was deteriorating due to the fast.
On Saturday, the Delhi police shifted YSRCP MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy to Ram Manohar Lohia hospital after he fell ill during the ongoing indefinite hunger strike at AP Bhavan.
The senior MP, along with the four other colleagues, submitted their resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan earlier this week, and have been on a hunger strike demanding SCS to Andhra Pradesh.
The five MPs who resigned this week were YV Subbareddy, Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, YS Avinash Reddy, V Varaprasad Rao and PV Mithun Reddy.
All their resignation letters, which were submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, had only one line: "I hereby tender my resignation of my Lok Sabha seat in the House with immediate effect.”