"I will pick up the fast from where Vijayamma has left," Jagan reportedly told the YSRCP.
YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy would undertake an indefinite fast in jail from Sunday, demanding that the Centre maintain status quo "if it cannot do justice to all regions while dividing the state".
This was disclosed to party leaders Konatala Ramakrishna, Bhuma Nagi Reddy and Dharmana Krishna Das, who called on him at Chanchalguda jail to apprise him of the political developments in wake of the Y S Vijayamma's indefinite fast having been foiled at Guntur.
"If we do not react when we have to react, the state will turn into a desert. I will be undertaking the fast to avoid such a situation," Y S Jaganmohan Reddy reportedly said.
"I will pick up the fast from where she has left, and begin an indefinite fast tomorrow, as the two main parties are maintaining silence with an eye on votes and seats," Jaganmohan Reddy told the three leaders on Saturday.
"Even though the Congress had the responsibility to do justice to both regions, its priorities were on votes and seats. And TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu being silent despite knowing the game plan is against the spirit of democratic values," opined Jagan.
"Naidu giving his nod to the division of the state in the form of a letter, not quitting the Assembly, and not asking his MLAs and MPs to resign before or after July 25 cannot be accepted by any measure of logic and political acumen.
"Naidu not budging and refusing to take back the letter, even though APNGOs had pleaded with him that the division is unjust, shows that he was also thinking on the lines of the Congress, with a political perspective, and showing scant respect to the sentiments of the people," the YSRCP president told the leaders.
"Had Chandrababu Naidu, along with his MPs and MLAs, quit in protest against the division, the situation would not have come to this. We have written to the Home Minister about our stand with clarity, and said that any wrong decision would affect a multitude of people of the state. Before coming to a decision, we have asked the Party to spell out its stand and then elicit the views of other parties.
"Out contention was that the Centre's decision should be acceptable to all, and no injustice should be done to any region, but it was not heeded to. Our party's MLAs had resigned 5 days ahead of the CWC and the UPA committee deciding to go ahead with the division, only to send a message to Delhi about the sentiments of the people of this region. However, there was no response from the Centre," Jaganmohan Reddy told the visiting leaders.
He also discussed the issues of river water sharing. "We can see that Krishna waters come to our state only after serving the needs of the upper riparian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Water flows into our state only after Almatti and Naryanpur dams are full. In such a situation, if another state stands in between, water to Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar will become scarce. From the southern tip of Kuppam to Srikakulam, only salt water will be left, leading to drinking water scarcity. There will be also squabbles along the Krishna ayacut.
"If the state is divided, from where will the water come? We have been asked to leave Hyderabad, which we have built over a period of 60 years. When 50% of the state's revenue comes from Hyderabad, from where shall we get the funds to carry forward welfare schemes like Aarogyasri, fee reimbursement and old age pensions, or even pay salaries?
"Where will the youth find jobs? What will happen to the settlers? Why are Congress and TDP leaders unable to judge these aspects? Even though they know that this is gross injustice, they have compromised for a few seats and votes, and are worried about getting credit for the event. What can we think of such leaders," he said.
"The ruling Congress is not willing to show concern over the people who are agitating on the streets of Seemandhra. The audacity of the Congress came to the fore when they appointed a party committee instead of a government committee to hear the apprehensions of the Seemandhra people, as if the problem is an internal issue of the Congress," Y S Jaganmohan Reddy told the delegation of party leaders.
"The committee members have no time to come down to the state, and so, only aggrieved parties can go to Delhi to speak about their woes. How the party committee can do justice to the people is beyond my comprehension.
"The honorary president and I have resigned, and have written to the Prime Minister. Even though she (Vijayamma) went on an indefinite fast, things did not change. They (the Congress) could not feel the pulse of the crores of people on the streets. Foiling her fast is a continuation of their dictatorial attitude," he told the three senior party leaders.
"Y S Jaganmohan Reddy is a people's leader, and will begin his indefinite fast despite being away from people and in judicial remand. Very soon, Sharmila will also undertake a bus yatra, details of which will be announced soon," Konatala Ramakrishna and others told the media later in the day. (INN)