Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday renewed his call for a special category status to Andhra Pradesh at the meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council, pointing to the “lopsided deal” handed to the State after the bifurcation.
“The erstwhile Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in an unjust and inequitable manner, against the wishes of the majority of the people,” he said. Andhra Pradesh inherited nearly 59% of the population, debt and liabilities of the erstwhile State, but it received just 47% of the revenues. Mr. Reddy said the promise of the special category status was a pre-condition for bifurcation, but it was never kept. “The promises made in Parliament by the ruling and Opposition parties during the bifurcation have remained unfulfilled, leading to a great financial and social distress in the State.” The status would help the State get higher grants-in-aid. To drive home his point, he said, the per capita grants to the special category States was ₹5,573, whereas Andhra Pradesh received only ₹3,428.
The Chief Minister hit out at his predecessor, N. Chandrababu Naidu, saying that during during Mr. Naidu’s tenure, the State saw “institutionalised corruption” and “misgovernance” that led to a high rate of unemployment among the youth, a lack of investment in infrastructure and industry, a sharp deterioration of the standards of public education and health systems. “In this context, the special category status has become the lifeline for my State,” he said.
Mr. Reddy reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the promise formed part of the BJP’s election manifesto and Mr. Modi himself had made the promise.
