Resolution passed in AP Assembly on special status

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union government to accord Special Category Status to the State and implement all the provisions contained in the AP Reorganisation Act-2014 after acrimonious debate marked by heated exchanges.

The resolution, moved by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, also urged the NDA government to implement the assurances made by former prime minister Manmohan Singh on the floor of the Rajya Sabha on February 20 last year including fiscal measures like tax incentives to promote industrialisation and economic growth, special development package, release of balance grant to bridge the revenue deficit, establishment of all educational institutions and provision of infrastructure facilities provided in the Schedule XIII,

implementation of the Section 8, early completion of the Polavaram irrigation project and all other commitments made in the Act and assurances made in Parliament to enable the State to achieve level-playing field. Initiating the debate, the Chief Minister made an elaborate statement on how unilaterally the State was divided resulting in residual State being put in a disadvantageous position.

He also alleged that the YSRCP had also joined the Congress ranks by withdrawing its no-confidence motion against the UPA-II. Claiming that the government has been making serious efforts to impress upon the Centre to deliver its statutory obligations as per the Reorganisation Act, Naidu said that it was due to the efforts made by his government the State had got Rs 2,300 crore, to partly bridge the large resource gap of Rs 1,500 crore for the new State capital, Amaravati.

He said 5 out of 11 educational institutions like IIT, IIM, NIT, IISER and IIT have already started functioning. However, striking a dissent note, Leader of the Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy demanded Naidu to serve an ultimatum to the Centre that he would withdraw TDP ministers from the Union Cabinet if the Special Category Status was not granted within a month. Such a move would strengthen the resolution and exert pressure on the Union government, he opined.

Jagan alleged that the Centre and the TDP had done nothing for the last 15 months on the Special Category Status under the garb that the 14th Finance Commission was objecting to it. “All that is required to give the Special Status is an executive decision,” he said. Eleven States were given Special Category Status in the past based on the Cabinet decision and not any Act, he added. Quoting statistics, he claimed that the Special Status had benefited Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in a big way.

Referring to the recent suicides in the State, Jagan said the TDP and the Union ministers were responsible for the frustration among the youth with their confusing statements driving the latter to take the extreme step of suicide. Medical and Health Minister Kamineni Srinivasa Rao criticised the YSRCP for misleading the people on the issue.

He said the BJP-TDP combine would ensure that all the assurances made in the Reorganisation Act would be fulfilled. Another BJP MLA P Vishunukumar Raju said the Centre had released Rs 23,950 crore in the last 13 months and the NDA government would also honour the assurance on the Special Category Status.