The Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party has decided to put on hold its agitation in Parliament in support of the demand for grant of special category status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh.
Union Minister and TD Parliamentary Party leader Y. Satyanarayana (Sujana) Chowdary said that since the Union Government had given an assurance on implementing the promises made to the State in letter and spirit, it was decided to put the agitation on hold. He welcomed the statement made by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament on Tuesday reiterating the Centre’s commitment to fulfil the assurances given to Andhra Pradesh.
He recalled that Mr. Jaitley along with Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anant Kumar had assured that the Centre was exploring all possible options to keep the promises.
Mr. Jaitley went ahead in claiming that he was in touch with TDP president and A.P. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the issue.
“Will give some time”
“We will give some time to the Centre to respond on our demand for grant of special status and other incentives promised to the State,” Mr. Chowdary told reporters in New Delhi.
Asserting that the TDP would not give up its struggle to ensure implementation of the promises, he said the party staged a constructive protest in support of the demands and the Centre took cognizance of the seriousness of the situation.
Cong. and YSRC flayed
He accused the Congress and the YSR Congress of adopting double standards on the issues pertaining to the State.
This was evident from the absence of the YSR Congress members in the House when the Finance Minister was responding to the State’s demands while the Congress members did not extend their support to the agitated TDP members in the House.
He asserted that the TDP would continue its struggle for the achievement of the demands by being in the NDA coalition. The Congress and the YSR Congress wanted the TDP to come out of the alliance as they were eyeing some political mileage from the exit of the TDP. “We (the TDP and the BJP) will speak in the same voice,” he asserted.
