Bengaluru: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president N Raghuveera Reddy on Thursday appealed to the Telugu-speaking people in Karnataka not to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in the Assembly elections in protest against Centre’s refusal to accord special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

“Narendra Modi had promised to accord the special category status while addressing a public meeting at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara but now he tells that special category status for Andhra Pradesh is not possible. All Telugus should teach BJP a lesson by supporting Congress candidates in the Assembly elections,’’ Raghuveera Reddy said.

The APCC chief has said that senior Congress leaders from Andhra Pradesh would visit Assembly constituencies that have Telugu-speaking voters. “We want all Telugu-speaking people to vote for Congress to teach a lesson to the BJP leaders who betrayed Andhra Pradesh,’’ he said.

He said the senior Congress leaders from Andhra Pradesh would visit Karnataka within a week.

Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for describing the Congress government in Karnataka as a 10 per cent government, the APCC chief said that he never come across a prime minister like Narendra Modi who stoops such a low level. “The Prime Minister’s irresponsible comments against the Congress government in Karnataka are an insult to Kannada people,’’ he said.

Appreciating Amit Shah for describing Yeddyurappa government as the most corrupt government, he said BJP national president Amit Shah was not in the habit of speaking truth but he finally spoke the truth a Davanagere recently. “I want to congratulate Amit Shah for speaking the truth,’’ he said.

He commended the welfare schemes implemented by Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka. “The Congress government in Karnataka has fulfilled the assurances given to the people during the last Assembly elections. I am confident of Congress romping home in the forthcoming Assembly elections,’’ he said.