Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has strongly refuted statements of several opposition leaders that several special packages were announced in the Union Budget for Andhra Pradesh, as TDP’s support is crucial for the survival of Narendra Modi government at the center.
After meeting union Water Resources Minister C R Patel in New Delhi following his attendance at NITI Aayog governing council meeting, he asserted that nothing new was proposed in the union budget. The Finance Minister was only assured to fulfill the obligations of the center mentioned in the AP Reorganization Act, he added.
He recalled that Amaravati, Polavaram and the development of backward districts are all mentioned in the Bifurcation Act. He recalled that the central government had promised to give special status but instead of special status they said that they would help capital investment. At the time of bifurcation, there was a difference of Rs 30,000 in the per capita income of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. But in the last five years, AP has fallen into a worse situation than bifurcation. Per capita income has deeply fallen, he added.
Meanwhile, Chandrababu has asked the Union Minister CR Patil to approve the complete proposals related to the construction of the Polavaram project. It may be recalled that the Center is kept pending approval of the revised estimations of the project, though they were cleared by the technical committee of the Water Resource Minister. He also made an appeal to agree to the construction of a new diaphragm wall.
Chief Minister expressed concern that Polavaram and Amaravati have been destroyed and industries fled from the state during the YCP regime. As people now put faith in the NDA coalition government, he said they are asking the Center to help for the reconstruction of AP so that it should recover from the injustice accorded in the form of bifurcation of the state.
“We are asking the center to fulfil old commitments made in the Reorganization Act. Already due to various reasons it was delayed and asking nothing new”, he said. He deplored that it is not correct for the opposition parties to politicize when the center now is ready to fulfil its commitments.