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Voices for Special Status echo in AP
Caught in a Catch 22 situation, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders have started raising their voices against the BJP led government at the Centre.
Vijayawada: Caught in a Catch 22 situation, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders have started raising their voices against the BJP led government at the Centre.
Naidu has decided to write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterating the demand for special status to the State. He is also likely to send details of what the Centre had given to the State and what is due to it under the AP Reorganisation Act.
Speaking at Neeru-Pragathi programme held on Andhra University campus in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, Naidu said the Congress had divided the State in haste for narrow political considerations.
It was a unilateral decision by the UPA government. “We are trying to rebuild the State and till we reach the level playing ground, the Centre should hold hand and do justice to the State. I am trying to extract maximum from the Centre. The Union Home Minister said that special status was not on cards for the State.
That is not correct. The Centre has to fulfill all the assurances given during bifurcation of the state,” he said. Meanwhile, it has been decided that the issue of special status would be taken up during the Cabinet meeting scheduled to meet on Monday.
The Cabinet will discuss about the stand the State government has to adopt on the issue since it has political and emotional overtones. The Cabinet is also likely to tell the Centre that it should release funds faster for the completion of Polavaram project. Speaking to The Hans India, a Minister said,
“The Polavaram Project is a national project and as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, the Centre has to bear the entire cost of the project. The State is only playing the role of a facilitator and all bills of the contractors are to be cleared by the Centre only. It is a statutory obligation,” he said.
“But the Centre has been talking of giving NABARD funds for the project which goes against the provisions of the Act. In all probability, the Irrigation Department may submit a detailed report to the Chief Minister before the Cabinet meeting.
The State has been showing immense patience and not indulging in war of words over delivering its statutory obligations but the Centre has been adopting a casual approach,” he added.
