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Polavaram Modi varam
Taking shelter behind its stale argument that the Centre had fulfilled all promises made to AP, including fulfilling its revenue deficit for the year 201314 15, the ruling BJP here on Tuesday attempted to blame Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, instead, for its failures
New Delhi: Taking shelter behind its stale argument that the Centre had fulfilled all promises made to AP, including fulfilling its revenue deficit for the year 2013-14 (15), the ruling BJP here on Tuesday attempted to blame Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, instead, for its failures.
The line toed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, in-charge Finance Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP MP Narasimha Rao (his maiden speech), was that more than the letter, the spirit of the AP Reorganization Act should be kept in mind. "You should look at the special focus not at the name of SCS," they argued. "We are fulfilling all the promises made. We have fulfilled several of them. We shall continue to strive to fulfil them," Rajnath reiterated.
The truth 'lies in the letters written to the Centre by the Chief Minister, who accepted and hailed our special economic package and externally aided projects proposal to fulfil the Revenue Deficit factor’, they argued digging out copies of the letters from the state government.
On the major bone of contention of the revenue deficit, they argued that the 'state government had included the cost of its welfare schemes like old age pensions, farm loan waiver, etc, to show it as RD. How can the Centre meet this expenditure? Every state will have its own schemes for the sake of popularity; but you cannot ask us to take the burden."
BJP's Narsimha Rao said a national investment and manufacturing zone had been sanctioned for the Prakasam area in Andhra Pradesh while of the four new industrial corridors approved, two passed through Andhra Pradesh.
The crux further extended thus: "A new city had been planned on the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor for which there had been delay on the part of the state government in acquiring the required land. The project would create up to six lakh jobs, he added.
While Rajnath Singh continued insisting on the fact that the Centre had given more than sought by the state government, Rao said the Vizag-Chennai corridor would create as many as 1.10 crore jobs by 2045 citing Asian Development Bank report.
Accusing the TDP of launching a mass misinformation campaign to show the BJP in poor light, the leaders said the state would not be deprived of any funds for anything. Accusing the state government of not performing its part and only blaming the Centre, Rao said: "You only want to do politics" and added that 'Polavaram' was 'Modivaram', in other words "a gift from Prime Minister Modi".
The BJP speakers further said the Centre had provided Rs 6,700 crore for the project but the state had been trying to claim credit for the initiatives of the Union government. He said the value of projects sanctioned under the Sagaramala project was a staggering Rs 1,63,537 crore. No one would call this injustice, they said.
