MP and YSR Congress Secretary V. Vijaya Sai Reddy. File | Photo: CV Subrahmanyam
YSRCP national general secretary V. Vijaya Sai Reddy on Wednesday caused an uproar when he said he would quit as a Rajya Sabha member if the Visakhapatnam-headquartered railway zone was not handed over as promised in the 2014 AP Reorganization Act.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of Telugu poet Gurram Jashuva’s 127th birth anniversary celebrations at the party’s central office, the party took up the demand for a separate railway zone in Visakhapatnam as its headquarters at various levels.
In the same broadside, he attacked the TDP and its friendly media for “misleading” the people as the Center turned down its demand for a separate railway zone.
“The reports published in Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy are false and baseless. The demand for establishing a separate railway zone in Visakhapatnam has been taken up by the YSRCP as the TDP failed to rally during its tenure,” he said.
They promised that a separate railway zone would be established where the state government establishes the capital, and it would be connected to Hyderabad through Kovvur, he said.
“There is a problem with the financial aspect of the project. Although the Center wants the State to pay the entire amount of the project within the State, the State demands that the Center bear the entire cost. We are still negotiating with the Center and hope that our request will be accepted,” said Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy.
Stating that the new railway zone in Visakhapatnam would become a reality, Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy said, “I challenge TDP, Eenadu and Andhra Jyothy. I will quit the Rajya Sabha if we do not get the railway zone. Ramoji Rao and Radhakrishna in their media will the organizations hand over to us if we get the rail yard?” he asked.