Telangana: Jagan meets Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi over bifurcation

Chennai: Continuing his campaign to drum up support for a united Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy today met the top two political leaders of Tamil Nadu–Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi.

Reddy, a staunch supporter of united Andhra Pradesh, called on the Chief Minister at the Secretariat here in the company of some of his party leaders and held discussions for about 30 minutes while he met Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence later in the day.

Speaking to reporters at Gopalapuram, Reddy said while he had sought to prevail upon the leaders to amend Article 3 of the Constitution of India, it was upto them to decide on that issue.

“Today it is Andhra, tomorrow it could be their state. Everyone who believes in democracy should support this cause (of a united Andhra Pradesh state),” he said.

Article 3 deals with the “formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries or names of existing states.”

He claimed that the next year’s Lok Sabha polls would be a “referendum” on the bifurcation issue.

Challenging the Congress on this matter, he said “we will win 30 seats and decide the next Prime Minister of India.”

The YRS Congress leader had earlier called on the Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Odisha, Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik to make his case for a united Andhra Pradesh even as it is unclear whether a bill for creation of separate Telangana would be brought in the winter session of Parliament, commencing tomorrow.

Earlier, traffic movement was also affected in some parts of the city as Reddy moved in a convoy of cars, especially outside the airport while greeting his supporters.

PTI