Pawan Kalyan a powermonger: BJP

New Delhi: Facing flak in Andhra Pradesh over the Centre not granting special category status to the state, the BJP called Pawan Kalyan a power monger and described him as ‘third rotten laddoo’ of the state after the Congress and YSR Congress.

Talking to the media, BJP national general secretary Siddharthnath Singh said that when the special category status for Andhra Pradesh was being talked about neither the BJP was in the government nor did it know about the (recommendations of the) 14th Finance Commission.

"The Commission's report was submitted to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in January 2014. But the report was not implemented by his government. It was, instead, implemented by us (the NDA government) after coming to power," Singh said.

Since there was no provision for the SCS under the 14th Finance Commission, the government had worked out the financial package which would address the concerns of the truncated state, he felt.

Condemning the attack on its senior leader and Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu by Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan, Singh said Andhra Pradesh has been demanding a special category state (SCS) status from the Centre ever since its economic powerhouse Hyderabad, which housed several IT and pharmaceutical companies as well as PSUs, went to the newly formed state of Telangana following bifurcation.

But the Centre could not give it since there was no provision now for dividing the states on special and general basis for giving them certain financial packages or for the purpose of devolution of central taxes, he said. However, there is a mechanism in the 14th Finance Commission to help the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh. Making use of it, the Centre had worked out the special package.