TDP Politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu today said there was nothing new in the special package for Seemandhra announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In a statement here on Friday, Ramakrishnudu stated that the six points mentioned by the Prime Minister have already been incorporated in the bill. There was nothing new. It was only an oral announcement and no mention was made about any grant for the Seemandhra region. Reeling out figures of State financial position, the TDP leader stated that the Chief Secretary, who sent 2012-13 budget to the Union government had stated that Telangana’s tax revenue was 82.97 per cent while that of the Semandhra was 17.03 per cent. There was a vast difference of tax revenue between the two proposed States was 64 per cent. But the Prime Minister did not say how this gap could be filled, he said.
Yanamala said there was also difference between revenue deficit gap and tax revenue deficit gap. There was a gap of 64 per cent tax revenue deficit gap between two proposed States, he stated. The Congress and BJP would be responsible for giving a new State without adequate funds and new government will have to borrow lakhs of crore rupees in the next 10 to 20 years.
The TDP leader said Andhra Pradesh was fifth largest State in the country along with Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. But providing special category status to the new Seemandhra state, its image was downgraded like Bundelkhand, Nagaland and Mizoran States.(NSS)
