Guntur: The Congress leaders invited the YSR Congress and Jana Sena to join the public meeting on Special Category Status to AP to be held in Guntur on June 4 but reportedly, there has been no response from the chiefs of both the parties. The Congress leaders said that AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi will will to continue fight for SCS to AP and that their party would ensure it to the State if voted to power in the next general elections.
AICC general secretary R.C. Khuntia reminded that the BJP fought for 10 years of SCS during discussion on bifurcation and even promised to sanction it while campaigning before the elections but conveniently forgot it after being voted to power. He recalled that Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu in the Rajya Sabha proposed SCS for 10 years against the UPA government’s proposal of 5 years, but now, he is backtracking from the same.
He said that the Congress was aiming to take the cheating by the BJP-led NDA government on the SCS issue to the notice of the nation by conducting a public meeting with 14 national parties in Guntur. He said that the Congress conducted a public ballot programme for the SCS and vowed to continue fight for SCS. He objected to the comments of Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya against SCS to AP.
APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy stated that nearly Rs 24,550 crore would be granted to AP if SCS is accorded and that now, only Rs 2,000 crore would be sanctioned to AP under special package. He said that SCS is the only solution for the development of AP, including north Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. He alleged that CM Chandrababu Naidu colluded with the BJP and so was not pressuring the Union government regarding the SCS. Mr Raghuveera Reddy termed Mr Naidu’s Nava Nirmana Deeksha a flop show as there was no public participation in any of the programmes in the state.
