It is not too late even now: Kiran

‘I quit a party which made me CM to uphold Telugu self-respect’

• Launches Jai Samaikyandhra Party, its logo and agenda
• Urges people to give him 25 MPs so he can stall bifurcation
• Hopes SC will send the bifurcation Bill back to Assembly

Rajahmundry: Former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and president of Jai Samaikyandhra Party on Thursday urged people to strengthen his hands to uphold the self-respect of the Telugu people. “For the sake of Telugu people’s self-respect, I have given up loyalty to the party which made me the Chief Minister. I quit the post of CM as unity of the State was more important to me than the party. I will keep striving for Telugu people’s welfare and need your support,” he pleaded while launching the new party at ‘Telugu Vari Atma Gourava Sabha’ here on Wednesday.

Addressing the people after unveiling the party flag, he mentioned that he was waiting for the verdict of the Supreme Court on the bifurcation issue and hoped that the T Bill would return to Assembly once again and the process would begin afresh again.

He said his party would attack great importance to the youth in issue of tickets for the coming elections.

At times becoming emotional, Kiran Kumar Reddy explained how all other parties betrayed the Telugu people and why he had to leave the Congress party. Terming Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jaganmohan Reddy as two babus, he said that “one babu has betrayed Telugu people by giving a letter in support of the bifurcation, and the babu has urged the Center to divide the State under Article 3.” He also mentioned that, “Peddamma (Sonia Gandhi) and Chinnamma (Sushma swaraj) did cut the State into two pieces at the Centre.” He senior BJP leader LK Advani’s comment that he had never seen such a worst Bill in his long political career, Modi’s statement that mother was killed for the sake of child in the bifurcation process, and Sushma Swaraj’s statement that the Bill was not even tabled in Parliament. He questioned the BJP how it then supported the T Bill in the Parliament.

Responding to the charge by Union Minister Jairam Ramesh that he had betrayed the Congress, the former CM said that it was the Congress party which betrayed him as well as the State. He termed Jairam Ramesh as a mad intellectual.

Though, the party was launched just ahead of the elections, it was not too late for the people to hail it and elect it to teach lessons to the “betrayers.”

He wondered why the Central government was in a hurry to pass the T Bill, even by deferring important bills like women’s quota bill which had been pending for a long time. Making it clear that he did not accept the fact that the bifurcation was over, he urged the people to give him 25 MP seats which would be enough to stall the bifurcation.

MPs GV Harsha Kumar, Vundavalli Arun Kumar, Sabbam Hari, Lagadapati Rajagopal, former Minister Pithani Satyanarayana, MLC Balisali Indira, MLAs Neeraja Reddy and Korla Bharathi and the founder president of the party Chundru Srihari were among several leaders present. People turned out in large numbers to witness the new party launch and listen to its chief.