VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday reiterated that the state government accepted special package only after the Centre assured it was no different from special category status (SCS), but wondered how some other states continued to enjoy special status.
“The Centre had said the 14th Finance Commission vetoed SCS, but now special status is being implemented in other states. If this is the case, why can’t Andhra Pradesh enjoy the same rights?” he said, while presiding over a party committee meeting.He, however, remained sceptical on the call to initiate a no-confidence motion against the NDA government, saying it required the support of 54 MPs or else it would fizzle out in a single day. He said he would consider other ways to pressure the BJP which has an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha and consider a no-trust motion only as a last resort.
Holding the Congress responsible for the woes of Andhra Pradesh, he said despite TDP MPs having fought tirelessly in Parliament, party president Rahul Gandhi and former chief Sonia Gandhi had not spoken a single word in support of the state.
He called into question the sincerity of the grand old party, saying when MP KVP Ramachandra Rao had stood alone in the well of the Rajya Sabha, placard in hand, Congress leaders including LoP RS Ghulam Nabi Azad had distanced themselves from him, telling the speaker they had nothing to do with KVP and so he could be suspended “for creating a ruckus”. Calling the bifurcation of AP irrational, Naidu said the sentiments of Andhras had not been respected. “One should not forget how the people punished the Congress for what they did to us,” he said, adding that the Congress was milking the political turbulence in the state.
Naidu explained that the main responsibility before the TDP was to ensure that the state gets what it was promised and advised party leaders to refrain from making personal attacks when they should stand united.
Recalling his 8-day ‘deeksha’ at AP Bhavan in Delhi demanding equal benefits for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before bifurcation, he said the Congress had then poked fun at him, but ended up becoming a nonentity in the state.
The TDP supremo lashed out at those criticising his party and questioned why they had failed to pressure other parties into making their MPs speak up for AP. He wondered aloud how Rahul Gandhi’s no-confidence motion claiming injustice to all 29 states would help Andhra Pradesh’s cause.
Coming down heavily on Jagan Mohan Reddy, he said the YSRC had taken up the issue of SCS only to gain political mileage and questioned the party’s silence on the other 18 issues pertaining to the AP Reorganisation Act. “By confining itself to one of the 6 promises made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and projecting it as the sentiment of the people, the YSRC is trying to score brownie points,” he alleged.
“Opposition leaders are singing a different tune every day. First they wanted all MPs to resign, but later, on understanding that there was no chance of a by-election, they began insisting on initiating a no-confidence motion. Clearly, they are also trying to back down by daring others to take up the task,” he explained.