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Naidu’s pitch for spl status may come a cropper
Naidu’s pitch for spl status may come a cropper. That the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has announced a special package to Bihar comes as no good news for the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, who is visiting the capital on August 20.
New Delhi: That the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has announced a special package to Bihar comes as no good news for the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, who is visiting the capital on August 20. He is slated to meet the Prime Minister and impress upon him the necessity to declare AP as a Special Status State.
Against the backdrop of the political agitation back home and the recent suicide of Muni Koti Reddy of Tirupati at a Congress rally, the TDP leadership is facing the heat from several quarters for not stepping up pressure on the Centre.
It may be recalled that while Koti Reddy's suicide certainly stoked the demand further, YSRCP President, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, too fished in the troubled waters by holding a dharna at Jantar Mantar here.
While the TDP leadership is facing flak over it, Chandrababu Naidu had to even snub one of his leaders', Y S Chowdary, the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, over his "ill-informed" remarks on the Special Status. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister, while addressing a rally at Saharsa in Bihar announced instead, Rs 1.25 lakh crore package.
It should take the total Central funds to Rs 1.65 lakh crore as pledged so far, he reiterated. What will be in store for AP when Naidu comes fund-hunting? First of all, there is no possibility of the BJP leadership at the Centre relenting on Naidu's demand as Bihar elections are crucial to it and it cannot work against its own interests by agreeing to accord the Status to AP.
Sources in the Finance Ministry are of the opinion that Naidu would do well to come out with his wish-list minus the demand for Special Status. He should capitalise on the piquant situation prevailing in AP which is sans a Capital rather than insist on the status that is hard to come by now, they argue.
The Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, has already stated that AP could benefit in myriad ways rather than insist on the Special Status which is out of reckoning due to the changed system now.
