Samaikyandhra Movement Not Staged: Sailajanath

State minister and Seemandhra Legislators Forum convener S Sailajanath on Friday said that the ongoing agitation in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema is not something that can be controlled by any political party.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress Legislature Party office here, Sailajanath said that the ongoing agitation is a people's movement. He dismissed reports that there was no agitation before the Congress Working Committee announced its decision on Telangana's separation last month.

He said that any kind of protests were kept at bay by the Congress leaders from the Seemandhra region, as they were confident that the Centre would not divide the state.

"However, after the CWC's announcement, people took matters into their hands, and came out onto the roads to express their anger," he said.

He said it was impossible for any political party to drive the people away from the streets unless the Centre reverses its decision on the state's bifurcation.

Sailajanath also said that all Congress legislators from the Seemandhra region would participate in a dharna at Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Assembly premises on September 3. When asked about the participation of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC president Botsa Satyanarayana in the dharna, he said that since both the leaders hail from the Seemandhra region, they would certainly participate in the protest. He said that Union ministers and MPs from the Seemandhra region too have been invited to participate in dharna.

He appealed to the TDP, the YSRCP, the CPI and the BJP to withdraw their resolutions favouring the formation of Telangana. He said that the sentiments for Samaikyandhra were very intense, and that all the parties which support the state's division would face the ire of people in future.

He added that the Atma Gaurava Yatra of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu would fail unless he extends open support to Samaikyandhra. (INN)