Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said that the residual state was yet to come to terms with the bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
On a day when Telangana was celebrating its third formation day, Andhra Pradesh organised its "Nava Nirmana Deeksha", where people take a pledge every year to work to rebuild the state.
At the main function held in Vijayawada, the Chief Minister administered the oath to the people assembled. He described June 2 as a "black day" in the history of Andhra Pradesh, and said that the state was meted out severe injustice. Recalling the manner in which the then Congress-led government at the Centre went ahead with the bifurcation, he said that the way that the Congress party handled the issue hurt the people of Andhra Pradesh even more. He said that the bifurcation bill was passed in Parliament by closing the doors and attacking the TDP MPs who had tried to protest. He claimed that the bill was then sent in a fighter plane to Hyderabad for ratification by the state Assembly.
He also pointed out that Congress President Sonia Gandhi divided the state on the independence day of her country, Italy.
Mentioning the efforts made by his government during that last three years to put the state back on the rails, Naidu vowed to take the state to greater heights despite all the odds. He said that while they should lodge their protests over the manner in which the state was bifurcated, the people should also dedicate themselves to rebuilding the state. He said that if people worked hard nothing was impossible, and pointed out that countries like Japan should be an inspiration to Andhra Pradesh - Japan had emerged as a major economy in the world after being devastated in the Second World War, he said.
Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, ministers and senior officials participated in the rally.