State-wide shutdown over special status demand begins across Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: The bandh called by the YSR Congress Party demanding special status to Andhra Pradesh as promised during bifurcation last year began across the state on Friday. Meanwhile, the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh continues to claim lives with a 40-year-old man committing suicide on Friday.

The YSR Congress Party on Saturday said that it would be holding a state-wide shutdown in Andhra Pradesh over a demand for granting of special status to the state following the bifurcation of unified Andhra Pradesh in December last year.

Earlier this week, YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of changing his stance on the issue of the granting of special status to 'special package' for the state, and added that the latter had failed to keep the promise made during 2014 elections.

Reddy had then led a sit-in protest in front of the CRDA office here for opposing the government's land acquisition for construction of the state's capital city. Under the special status category, the state would get more grants from the Centre, at 90 per cent for each development scheme, and also exemption of taxes for the industries to be set up, he had claimed.

The special status would attract more industries which would ultimately provide more employment, but 'special package' would only be useful to some extent, and would not benefit the state, he said. Reddy appealed to the people to make Saturday's shutdown call successful.

He said the YSRCP would continue the agitation against land acquisition and support farmers who have been fighting against the government's action.