With the demand for Special Category Status growing stronger, a 33-year-old engineering graduate has embarked on a 2,500-km cycle expedition to New Delhi to impress upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil his promise to the beleaguered state.
“The loss of Hyderabad cannot be compensated. SCS is bare minimum the Centre must give to encourage setting up of new industries in Andhra Pradesh,” says Kolla Venkat during his brief stopover here.
“I started my expedition on February 15 from Tirupati, where Mr.Modi has promised at an election rally to provide hand-holding support to overcome the bifurcation blues,” said Venkat, computer science graduate from SRKR Engineering College in Bhimavaram in West Godavari district. He met YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy during the latter's ongoing Praja Sankalpa Padayatra at Kandukur.
“I begin cycling at dawn and continue till 9.30 pm with breaks in between,” adds Venkat who covers about 100 km each day.
“I meet actor-politician Pawan Kalyan probably in Hyderabad on Monday,” adds Venkat.
