AP people stopped voting for Congress after bifurcation, says Jagga Reddy

Vijayawada: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president Jagga Reddy on Saturday acknowledged that the Congress party lost political ground in Andhra Pradesh following the state's bifurcation. He said that after the bifurcation, people stopped voting for the party, leaving it with only grassroots workers and no elected representatives in the state. "However, I opposed the division of Andhra Pradesh at the time, and therefore I have the moral right to speak on the state's development and future," he said. Jagga Reddy said that the CMs of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana should hold formal, govt-level discussions on water-sharing projects and other pending disputes. He criticised the past leadership, alleging that former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao and former AP CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had maintained personal cordiality but failed to engage in serious discussions on state-related issues. He asserted that Telangana CM Revanth Reddy would handle such matters with greater institutional responsibility.Jagga Reddy also took aim at actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, questioning his public posturing despite his proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He alleged that political theatrics were being used to mask inaction on critical issues such as the future of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.Speaking on the steel plant, Jagga Reddy described Visakhapatnam Steel Plant as a historic symbol of Andhra Pradesh's industrial identity. He recalled that the plant was established following mass public movements and parliamentary assurance given by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1970. He said the plant, built at an initial cost of Rs 14,000 crore, had transformed Visakhapatnam's economy and provided livelihoods to lakhs of families.Jagga Reddy claimed that the plant's current asset value had grown to approximately Rs 2.5 lakh crore and alleged that the Centre was attempting to hand it over to corporate entities. He accused the Modi-led govt of systematically transferring public assets to private interests and questioned why leaders who maintained close relations with the Centre had failed to stop the privatisation process.He said successive Andhra Pradesh govts after bifurcation, led by N Chandrababu Naidu and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, had failed to safeguard the steel plant. He also questioned why Jagan Mohan Reddy did not oppose privatisation when he was in power despite his reported proximity to the Prime Minister, and why protests staged while in opposition amounted only to symbolic gestures.Referring to the Congress-led UPA period, Jagga Reddy said the Centre had absorbed financial losses to protect the steel plant. He stated that former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had gone ahead with state bifurcation despite political costs, in order to honour a commitment.Jagga Reddy further stated that the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant could be halted only if Rahul Gandhi became Prime Minister. He said that if Andhra Pradesh voters elected 20 to 25 Congress MPs in the 2029 general elections, the party would form the government at the Centre and reverse the privatisation decision.Reiterating that "Visakha steel is the right of Andhra people," Jagga Reddy said the plant was the outcome of decades of public struggle and sacrifice. He emphasised that his demand was not political but rooted in protecting a public sector asset critical to Andhra Pradesh's economic and social fabric.