People might have forgotten Lok Satta founder-president and former MLA Dr Jayaprakash Narayan long ago and he, too, had wound up the political party and converted it into just an NGO. But now and then, he surfaces from nowhere and gives lectures on key issues.
On Friday, JP released a book “Hodaa Dagaa.. Kim Karthavyam” (Cheating on special status; what to do?) authored by one of his followers in Hyderabad.
He demanded that the Centre should grant special status to Andhra Pradesh as promised. He reminded that it was he who had raised the demand of special status first backward areas like north coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.
“But then, the BJP and Congress people argued that it should be given to the entire Andhra Pradesh,” he recalled.
Since the Centre has now rejected the special status demand, JP came out with a new proposal.
He suggested that if the special status was not possible, the Centre should grant industrial incentives for seven districts – four Rayalaseema and three north-coastal Andhra districts, which they would have got had the special category status been given.
“Thus, we can get special category status to at least seven districts,” he argued.
Any takers?
