Vijayawada: Expressing “pain” over the happenings in Rajya Sabha today during a discussion on special category status to Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu came down heavily on the Centre for once again doing “injustice” to the state.
“It’s the same Rajya Sabha. About 70-80 per cent members are the same. The same injustice has been done to Andhra Pradesh now. We are left with a nightmare,” he lamented.
Naidu particularly picked up Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the attack, saying the latter failed to come up with proper answers to various questions related to the state bifurcation and implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act, which paved the way of creation of Telangana in 2014.
Addressing a press conference here late tonight, he castigated Jaitley for claiming in the Upper House of Parliament that “we have done a lot to Andhra Pradesh” so far.
“What have they done? Jaitley says injustice has been done to AP. What has he done to correct it? Why did the BJP support the bifurcation (in 2014) when it knew the Centre’s financial condition is bad,” Naidu questioned.
He pointed out that 11 parties, including the TRS, supported granting special status to Andhra Pradesh.
“(Sitaram) Yechury (of CPM) suggested that a committee be constituted to look into the issue and also other contentious issues between AP and Telangana. I welcome it. Let the Centre constitute a committee,” he demanded.
The TDP leader said he was “pained” over the happenings in Rajya Sabha, where the NDA government today remained non- committal on granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh but promised to “hand hold” the revenue-deficit state to enable it to progress on its own.
Jaitley assured the House the the government is committed to keeping all its promises and will fulfil all its responsibilities as far as hand holding Andhra Pradesh was concerned.
He was responding to a discussion on the ‘Status of implementation of the Reorganisation Act, 2014 and government assurances’ during which TDP and several other parties pressed for grant of special category status to the state in the wake of carving out of Telangana state two years back.
Naidu’s party TDP is an ally of BJP at the Centre and also in the state.
—PTI