The Central government is working out the details of according special category status to Andhra Pradesh and it will be a ‘time consuming process’. The AP State Reorganisation Act only gave a direction in this regard and the details are yet to be worked out, said Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman.
She told presspersons here on Saturday that a number of meetings were held in this connection. As an MP from Andhra Pradesh, she said she was taking keen interest to ensure that all promises made were honoured. “I am personally informing the AP Chief Minister of the developments,” Ms. Sitharaman said.
She did not agree with the view that the Telangana government was not getting its due share from the Centre. There will be no discrimination between the States as the Modi government is against the neglect of any State. In fact, the government is in the process of setting up a dry port in Telangana since there is no sea port here, she said.
To a question, Ms. Sitharaman termed as ‘unfortunate’ the remarks of JD (U) president Sharad Yadav on South Indian women. A senior Parliamentarian like him should not have spoken like that, she said. To another question on reported espionage of AICC vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, she said he should come out and clarify. “Where is the question of spying,” she asked.
Ms. Sitharaman, who was here to campaign for the BJP candidate in the MLC elections, referred to the passage of a number of Bills like the Motor Vehicle Amendments Bill, Insurance Laws Amendment Bill and said they concerned the common man and not the corporate sector.
