VIJAYAWADA, Feb 25:
Referring to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s allegations that the then Congress led UPA II Government had bifurcated combined AP state irrationally and unscientifically, Congress senior leader and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh questioned the former on why he had not tried to get Reorganisation Act amended by the Centre to get all the benefits.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, he said that the the Telugu Desam party aligned with the BJP and asked why the Chief Minister failed to get Special Category Status (SCS) and other assurances fulfilled to the state.
Mr Ramesh said that on April 30, 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during election campaign in Tirupati, assured to grant SCS to AP and asked why he did not do so after coming to power.
The Congress leader said that 11 states are still enjoying the benefits of SCS and asked why the SCS was denied to AP. Mr.Chandrababu Naidu assumed office in June 2014 and the granting of SCS was scrapped in February 2015, he said and asked what the state Chief Minister was doing during the period without exerting pressure on the Centre to get the SCS granted.
If the Centre has intention, it could take decision in two minutes to establish Railway zone in Visakhapatnam as per the Reorganisation Act assurances, he said.
“The registering of protest in the Parliament, demanding granting of SCS and other assurances to AP by the TDP MPs, is a ‘melodrama’ as a cover up measure.
The TDP MPs are registering protest in the Parliament as part of TDP’s match fixing with the BJP. The TDP is not serious in getting all assurances, including the SCS being granted to AP” he alleged.
Mr Jairam Ramesh assured that if the Congress party is voted to power in the 2019 election, the first decision would be granting SCS to AP. (UNI)
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