Vijayawada: Both Telugu Desam (TD) and the BJP have been caught off guard ever since they parted ways. Once friends, are now foes and both the parties are now pitted against each other.
Both the varying groups had unleashed a bitter battle by mud-slinging on each other. After four years, BJP leaders had gone a step further and accused the TD government of being neck deep in corruption. Most importantly, the BJP had accused of corruption in Naidu’s pet irrigation project Pattiseema and also in Polavaram.
The TD, instead of clearing the air on the corruption charges, and coming out clean had demanded the resignation of BJP MLC Somu Veerraju who was elected with the help of the TD MLAs. The TD also accused the BJP of being a North India based party, it has been ignoring the southern states which will eventually lead to north and south India division.
While TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu wrote a four-page letter to BJP national president Amit Shah on March 18, detailing the reasons to leave the NDA, the latter on Saturday dashed out a nine-page letter attributing political motives of the former in breaking the alliance.
Naidu in his letter said that the progress was tardy, unsatisfactory and disappointing in crucial provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, and the assurances given in the Rajya Sabha. Shah said TD’s decision to quit the NDA ‘family’ was guided wholly solely by political considerations, instead of developmental concerns.
While Naidu recalled that Narendra Modi, the then Prime Ministerial candidate, in his public meetings in Andhra Pradesh, had emphatically assured the people that he would give Special Category Status as well as help the state to build a capital city much better than Delhi, Shah in his letter avoided a direct reply on Special Category Status promise.
“On the issue of special status for Andhra Pradesh, it is regrettable that some political parties are whipping up public sentiments rather than encouraging an informed debate which is the cornerstone of a vibrant democracy. I would like you to introspect whether political parties should be pitting sentiments and development against each other to further their political agenda,” Shah said.
Naidu said that they were told that the 14th Finance Commission had recommended against granting of SCS to any state. “Although this was a contestable interpretation of the Finance Commission’s report, we went along with it because we were promised that all facilities and incentives that are enjoyed by the SCS states will be extended to us in the form of special assistance, except the nomenclature. Sadly, that was not to be,” Naidu said in the letter.
For this, Amit Shah said, “Due to the weak financial position of AP, the 14th Finance Commission has awarded to the state revenue deficit grants to the tune of '22,113 crore, covering the overall revenue deficit for five years. AP is the only state to receive the award of revenue deficit grants for all the five years period i.e from 2015 to 2020 besides the eight north-eastern and hilly states. Does that not show that the Central Government has been sensitive to the needs of AP.?”
Rs 16,000 cr deficit claim ‘false’: Shah
The TD government’s claim of Rs 16,000 crore deficit in 2014-15 was fallacious as this included its expenditure on farm loan waivers, pensions etc, said BJP president Amit Shah.
“Even our party governments in different states have implemented similar loan waiver schemes but have met such expenditure from their own sources.
“The Central government cannot be expected to meet these expenses as we cannot differentiate between state governments implementing similar welfare measures. Is it not political brinkmanship to make unjustified and exaggerated demands and then allege neglect when they are not accepted,” he asked.
Cannot ignore AP Government’s lapses
BJP president Amit Shah found some serious lapses on the part of the state government which could not be ignored.
The letter said, “I learnt that the Central government has not received appropriate fund utilisation details, particularly with regard to developmental funds under desired heads. It is worth noting that the Utilisation Certificates have been received only for 12 per cent of the grant released for backward districts in 2016-17 and UCs were received only for eight per cent for the '1,000 crore released for the Capital region.”
Since it was mandatory for the Central government to have these details for release of further instalments, it could not be blamed for the fund lapses.
“Governments are accountable to the people for every single penny spent... Therefore, your statement that the State Government has no obligation to give any such expenditure statements is evasive and reflects governance deficit,” he added.
Central assistance upped in NDA regime
The NDA government had more than doubled its assistance to AP as compared to the total funds allocated in the previous five years, claimed Mr Amit Shah. The total award of funds under tax devolution and grants during the 14th Finance Commission (2015 to 2020 which broadly corresponded the present NDA government) was Rs 2,44,271 crore and the breakup was Rs 1,70,686 crore (share in central taxes), grant-in-aid Rs 36,225 crore, revenue deficit grant Rs 22,113 crore, local bodies grant Rs 12,290 crore and state disaster response fund Rs 2,957 crore, he said.
Total funds and grants in the previous five years (2010 to 2015) was Rs 1,17,967 crore and Congress-led UPA government was in power.
