N Chandrababu Naidu in a rush to steal thunder from PM Modi's plan

Hyderabad: Some issues are likely to rise when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Andhra Pradesh. These include AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s sudden laying of the foundation stones for construction of a new secretariat building at Amaravati and steel plant at Kadapa, and the controversy between the BJP and Telugu Desam over release of funds by the Centre to AP.

Mr Modi, during his AP visit, is likely to speak about these issues, particularly the construction of the capital city Amaravati, for which the Centre had released about Rs 2,500 crore two years ago. It has stated it would give Rs 1,000 crore more. Of the Rs 2,500 crore, the Centre released Rs 1,000 crore to improve infrastructure facilities like laying of roads linking Vijayawada and Guntur to Amaravati.

The Centre has released '1,500 crore for the construction of the capital city including the secretariat, Raj Bhavan, Assembly and other government offices. The Centre told the AP government that it would release an additional '1,000 crore the for capital city construction once it submits utilisation certificates for the '1,500 crore already released.

But the AP government did not send utilisation certificates and instead is criticising the Centre for not releasing funds for the construction of the capital. To counter the AP government’s allegation, Mr Modi will tell the people that the AP government did not spend the money and did not construct the capital even after four years. Hence, Mr Naidu’s haste to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the secretariat to ward off criticism.

Regarding the Kadapa steel plant, the Centre has decided not to take it up as per its study report. The Centre’s stance is that in the AP Reorganisation Act it did not promise to construct a steel plant at Kadapa, but only assured to study the feasibility. Mr Naidu laid the foundation stone for the Kadapa plant only to steal a march over the Centre.