Ignoring govt decision, YSRC observes AP state formation day

Hyderabad, Nov 1: YSR Congress celebrated state formation day of

at the party headquarters here today and criticised the "foolhardiness" of the TDP government in "changing the historic date" without any valid reason.

"Due respect should be given to the historic facts... Andhra Pradesh along with other states was formed on November 1 on linguistic basis. I see no reason as to why (Chief Minister) Chandrababu Naidu should shift the date to June 2," YSRC president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said at a function to mark Andhra Pradesh's state formation day.

"Giving due respect to the sentiments of Telugu people we are celebrating the day as we revere history and the great people who made the state of Andhra Pradesh a reality," he said. There have been precedents and history is very clear that Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are observing November 1 as the state formation day even as new states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand, respectively, were carved out of them.

The new states thus emerged are having their own formation day, he said. "It is logical for Telangana to observe June 2 as state formation day as it was the 29th state formed on that date while Andhra Pradesh remains the same, which has come into being on November 1. Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh is the historic fact which cannot be denied.

"There is no valid reason as to why the date should be changed and TDP's cabinet decision to change the date is beyond any reasonable comprehension," Reddy said. "Chandrababu Naidu should change his mindset and stick to the original date of state formation or else we will revert to the date of November 1 as the state formation day after we come to power.

The state has come into being as a result of many sacrifices and as an integrationist party, we are against the change of date," he said. The state cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister earlier this week, decided to celebrate June 2 as the state formation day henceforth, ending speculation in some quarters that it would either stick to November 1 or choose June 8, the day the new government of (truncated) Andhra Pradesh took office.

PTI