ANDHRA PRADESH

Special status issue: 5 crore people feel betrayed by Centre, says Naidu

N. Chandrababu Naidu Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at the press conference | Arvind Jain

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has called for a thorough review of the implementation of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, and said his party was amenable to a joint parliamentary committee on it.

The Andhra Pradesh chief minister was speaking in Delhi on Wednesday. He claimed he arrived in the national capital to share with the nation the promises made by the Centre, the 'facts' of the special status issue and what was promised over it in Parliament. Naidu said 5 crore people of his state were feeling pained and betrayed by the Centre, politicians and Parliament where commitments were made, but were not being fulfilled.

Naidu said after four years of waiting and 29 visits to Delhi, nothing had improved for Andhra Pradesh. "We joined the NDA for the support and hand-holding we needed. That did not come. People are pained, and so we decided it was not worth our being with the NDA, in the Central government. Our people are feeling let down," he elaborated at a press conference.

As part of a PowerPoint presentation titled “Status of Implementation of Provisions of AP Reorganisation Act 2014 and Assurances by the then PM,” Naidu had a video clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi assuring the people of Andhra Pradesh that they will have a better capital than Delhi. "The last few days, we are fighting for fair treatment for Andhra in Parliament. All other parties are supporting us, but nothing has happened."

“We have moved a no-confidence motion only to get an answer to all our questions. All the other non-BJP parties have promised us support. How many parties actually support, we will know tomorrow," Naidu claimed.

“The state of Andhra Pradesh is fighting the Centre and I represent Andhra. I need the support of the entire nation,” the chief minister said, taking the battle—that has been in Parliament—to the people.

Naidu said if developing states are penalised like this, they will deteriorate, and other states will also decelerate.

Andhra Pradesh will be the only state apart from the special category states to have a revenue deficit even after the completion of the 14th Finance Commission period in 2020, said Naidu, who is in the national capital on a two-day visit.

Naidu lamented that the Centre had written that it will be given only Rs 138 crore more, while the CAG had estimated the revenue deficit for 2014-15 at Rs 16,078 crore. So far, the Government of India had released Rs 3,979 crore.

The chief minister said the bifurcation itself was flawed and unjust.

Naidu said while he was told that the special category status would lapse, the Centre had extended the Central assistance measures and incentives in August 2017 to the SCS states. A new industrial incentive package was also given to the northeastern states last month. But the special assistance measures approved by the Union cabinet for Andhra Pradesh has not been followed up by orders. The state has not been given written communication till date, he said.

Taking up the promises made by the Centre point by point, Naidu said only Rs 5,212.07 crore of the Rs 7,780.07 crore spent on the Polavaram project had been reimbursed. He said while Prime Minister Modi assured a new capital better than Delhi, nothing had taken off on the ground. Naidu demanded Government of India funding for Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, based on the DPR. So far, only Rs 1,500 crore had been allocated toward infrastructure.

The chief minister demanded a special development package of Rs 25,350 crore for backward districts, as provided in the Reorganisation Act.

Naidu also demanded a new Railway zone with Vishakhapatnam as the headquarters.

Regretting that not a single permanent campus had so far been built in the backdrop of promises to include an IIT, IIM, IISER, a Central university, a petroleum university, an agricultural university and an IIIT, Naidu demanded time-bound completion of infrastructure and recruitment of regular faculty, through adequate allocation of funds.

The chief minister said, despite growing at the fastest pace among the southern states, the gap between Andhra Pradesh and other states in per capita income was visible. This, he said, would continue to widen. This, he said, was because of the bifurcation.

"They (the Centre) want to destroy my credibility. I have built it over 40 years. Is it fair?" asked Naidu, asserting that his state had the highest GDP despite all its problems. He said the Centre constantly charged the state by not giving utilisation certificates after receiving them. "They are constantly attacking us in spite of our growth," he said. Cooperative federalism was not there in practice, the pained chief minister said, asserting that works like the capital city were national projects.

"BJP doesn't have anything in Andhra; they are trying to take the support of tainted parties. I am not worried about that. My only concern is that they are not implementing the Reorganisation Act."

According to Naidu, the BJP, Shiv Sena and YSR Congress did not attend the all-party meeting he convened earlier in the day.

"That shows they are not with us, are weakening us. But I will not be weakened by that. In spite of all the problems we are facing, this fight for Andhra will go on," he said.

“We are demanding that the Government of India cooperate with us. That is all I am asking,” he declared.

“Every day since I pulled out of NDA, they are flinging mud at me, making some adverse comments on Andhra. But I am not shaken by this,” he said, concluding the 90-minute-long press conference by asking media to help him 'straighten' the record on the special status demand.