BJP cautioned against dilution of Bifurcation Act

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president N Raghuveera Reddy on Monday cautioned the BJP-led NDA government against diluting the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act 2013.

Speaking to media persons here, Raghuveera said that Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs M Venkaiah Naidu was speaking about several flaws in the Act and it had to be amended to make it perfect. The defects that the Union Minister spoke of was only altering the number of Rajya Sabha members for both the States and increasing the number of MLC, he said. He feared that the BJP government, which was part of passing the Bifurcation Act, was now not taking initiatives to make the promises a reality. He recalled the debate held in Rajya Sabha when the Bill was passed. He said that Venkaiah Naidu had played a key role during the debate and had sought special incentives for Andhra Pradesh. The special category status for the State, the special package for the Rayalaseema and North Andhra, Polavaram Project and many other issues, besides starting more than a dozen Central institutions in the State were raised by Venkaiah Naidu, he said and wondered why the same leader after now becoming the Union Minister was silent on converting these promises into reality. He cautioned the BJP-led NDA government against diluting or deviating from the promises.

The APCC chief also blamed Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for not taking steps to get what was all promised to the State in the Act and also during the debate in the Rajya Sabha. He said that the Chief Minister had lost his credibility of fulfilling the promises and sought to advise the Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu losing his credibility too by going back on promises made to Andhra Pradesh.

Raghuveera Reddy recalled that AICC president Sonia Gandhi had written her first letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to fulfil all the promises that Parliament had made for Andhra Pradesh in the Re-organisation Act. He said he, too, had led a team of the party leaders to the Prime Minister and every Minister at the Center requesting them to get into action and do justice to the Andhra Pradesh. However, he regretted that the State and the Central governments have remained silent for the last six months. He wanted both the governments to start working on all the projects and promises and ensure that the students from the State get the opportunity join new courses in the Central institutions at least from the next academic year.

The APCC chief also criticised the Chief Minister for going back on his poll promises of unconditional loan waiver for the farmers, members of self-help groups and weavers. He blasted the Chief Minister for going back on the promise and laying conditions for implementation of the loan waiver.

He said that the Congress would lead the farmers in the State to fight for total and unconditional loan waiver.
Former minister Devineni Rajasekhar Nehru, former MLA Malladi Vishnu, city Congress president M Rajeswara Rao, Krishna district Congress president N Narasimha Rao and others were present.