Quite a few states have been bifurcated before, but a development package has been included in the Re-Organisation Act only for AP, AICC scheduled caste wing Chairman and former IAS officer Koppula Raju has said.
Mr Raju inaugurated the relay fast being conducted by the Congress to press for its the demand for special category status for AP that entered the second day at the Sub-Collector’s Office here on Tuesday. He said a development package was included in the Act for the first time, but the ruling BJP was ignored it.
Eleven States had been granted special category status earlier, but former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced in the Rajya Sabha for the first time that the new AP would be granted the status. The Cabinet met the next day and approved the decision. “The Cabinet approval is tantamount to an executive order and there is no needed for consulting other States about it. This would entitle the State for Rs 10,000 crore a year as grant for five years,” he pointed out.
Provision was also made in the Re-Organisation Act for the Centre releasing grant up to Rs 15,000 crore for the deficit budget of the State, he said, adding that the Congress would not allow the BJP and the TDP to ignore the provisions made in the Act, he said.
PCC vice-president and former Minister Devineni Rajasekhar said the Congress condemned the attempts by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to mislead the Assembly saying that he and N.T.Rama Rao could only complete irrigation projects. “NTR had completed the Telugu Ganga and Galeru Nagari projects, there was nothing that Mr. Naidu did. In fact, he never allowed progress to Pulichintala and Polavaram projects saying that it would stir the Telangana hornet’s nest,” he said.
PCC general secretary TJR Sudhakar Babuand others also spoke to the prosteters.
The UPA govt. had approved in its Cabinet to grant special category status to AP. The approval is tantamount to an executive order.
Koppula Raju,AICC SC wing Chairman
