With the BJP-led NDA government going back on its promises, the State government will take upon itself the task of constructing projects such as the steel plant in Kadapa and the petrochemical complex in Kakinda, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has asserted.
‘Promises ignored’
Addressing the TDP’s ‘Dharma Porata Deeksha’ here on Saturday, Mr. Naidu came down heavily on the Centre for meting out injustice to the State by denying Special Category Status (SCS), dilly-dallying on separate railway zone with headquarters in Visakhapatnam, and sanctioning “meagre funds” for construction of capital city Amaravati and premier educational institutions.
“In spite of the non-cooperation from the Centre, I will strive to put the State on the path of development. As a step in that direction, I will lay the foundation stone for the steel plant on December 27,” Mr. Naidu said.
Directing his ire at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “forgetting all the promises made in the run-up to the 2014 elections,” Mr. Naidu said, “The Union government has denied the State what is legitimately due to it. The Centre has not given funds for the construction of airports proposed at several places, including one at Bhogapuram in the district, though the State allotted land for them. The State government is paying around ₹6,000 crore as taxes every year to the Union government. In return, the Centre is hardly catering to our needs.”
“The non-cooperation from the Centre will not deter the confidence of my government and people of the State. We will spend ₹50,000 crore in a phased manner to develop Amaravati and create wealth in each and every district systematically,” he said.
Referring to the goings-on in the Central agencies, he said, “The Union government has destroyed the CBI, the Reserve Bank of India, and the Income-Tax Department. To expose the misgovernance of the Modi government, I have been trying to unite all the opposition parties in the country.”
Mr. Naidu urged the people to bless the TDP in the general elections and help it play a key role in the formation of the new government at the Centre. “If the TDP wins all the 25 Lok Sabha seats, the State will have greater say in national politics,” Mr. Naidu observed. He promised to complete the Polavaram, Vamsadhara Phase II and other projects to ensure the overall development of the State.
Jibe at Jagan
Referring to YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Chief Minister said, “Mr. Reddy joined hands with Mr. Modi and Telangana CM K. Chandrasekhara Rao, and is obstructing the development of the State. Mr. Reddy is not committed to the welfare of the people. He has no concern for the victims of cyclones Titli and Phethai. He is only trying to gain sympathy from the ‘kodi-katti’ drama (referring to the knife attack on Mr. Jagan).”
Former Union Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Ministers K. Kala Venkata Rao and K. Atchannaidu, and Srikakulam MP K. Rammohan Naidu urged the people to teach a fitting lesson to the BJP and extend their their cooperation to Mr. Naidu in the elections.
Mr. Rammohan Naidu, who spoke briefly in Hindi, listed the Centre’s failures in implementing the assurances given in the A.P. Reorganisation Act.
The party leaders expressed satisfaction over the “overwhelming” response to the ‘deeksha’.
