The sharing of dais by TDP national president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in Bengaluru recently is against the very purpose for which N.T. Rama Rao had founded the TDP, according to MP and BJP national executive member K. Haribabu.
“As a consequence, the anti-Congress vote will now come to the BJP,” he told the media here on Friday.
After the United Front Government between 1996 and 1998, the BJP had won four Lok Sabha seats and polled 18 % votes in the unified Andhra Pradesh, he recalled, and exuded the confidence that the anti-Congress vote would come to the BJP, leading to its victory in the 2019 elections.
The attempt to rouse passions in the name of ‘dharma poratam’ was mere patting one’s own back and blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. Involving employee organisations and taking out torch rallies with teachers was leading to fear that a non-working government would be in power during the next one year, he said. Reiterating that 85 % of the promises made in the A. P. Reorganisation Act had been fulfilled, he said the Union Government was working on the remaining, including the railway zone.
Revenue deficit
Going by the 14th Finance Commission’s calculations, the Union Government was ready to give ₹27,500 crore towards revenue deficit from 2014 to 2019 and 10 months of 2013-14, he said.
Similarly, calculating 30 % balance incentive towards the centrally-sponsored projects in lieu of the Special Category Status, the Centre was ready to give ₹15,500 crore. The revenue deficit for 2015-16 and 2016-17 had been given, and the remaining would also be disbursed, he added.
Mr. Haribabu said Visakhapatnam benefited immensely during the four-year BJP rule, and cited as example the establishment of IIM, IIPE, Society for Applied Microwave Electronics, Skill Development Centre, CGHS Wellness Centre, Medtech Park, Export Inspection Council of India Lab, recognition of the Government Hospital for Mental Care as Centre of Excellence, development of international airport, and domestic and international air cargo terminals. The capacity of the HPCL refinery was being increased from 8.3 MMTPA to 15 MMTPA, he said.
