VIJAYAWADA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that the NDA government would honour every commitment made to the people of Andhra, but made it crystal clear that special category status would not be granted to the State.
Replying to the debate on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, a combative Modi accused the TDP of taking a U-turn on special package to hide its own failures and revealed, “I rang up Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu when he exited the NDA and told him, ‘babu, you are walking into YSRC trap.’ I cautioned him, ‘you will not come out unscathed’.”
He further said the TDP was using Parliament while it had a feud with the YSRC back in AP. Amid protests from TDP members, Modi, quoting a media report, recalled that Naidu had accepted and even thanked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley after the Centre announced the special package to the State in Sept 2016 saying that it was better than special status.
Explaining why a special package was announced in lieu of special status, he cited the 14th Finance Commission recommendations and said the panel had done away with the special category tag while deciding on the devolution of taxes to States. It put the northeastern states in a different category and while doing so, kept in mind the interests of all other States, he said. “NDA government honours the aspirations of Andhra people but at the same time, we have to keep in mind that we are bound by the 14th Finance Commission recommendations,” he explained.
He accused the Congress of dividing the State in an unscientific manner and alleged that it had done the same with the country in 1947. “As Jayadevji said I did remark that Telugu is our mother and that Telugu spirit must be protected. That Congress had saved the child but killed the mother. I stand by my words,” he said and taunted the Congress saying it lost both the States in 2014.
“I remember very well, there used to be frequent tiffs between TS and AP over the division in 2014. Governor had to sit with the two CMs. Sometimes I had to sit with them and sort it out. At the time, TDP was putting in all its efforts against TS. TRS showed maturity and got busy with development work. You all know what happened on the AP’s side.
The division was done in such a way that even now pending issues of division are yet to resolved,” he said. Interestingly, he appeared to be praising TS CM K Chandrasekhar Rao. Reacting to the PM’s speech, TDP MP Kesineni Naidu said he was the best actor and orator in the world and “it was like watching a blockbuster.” Earlier, CM Naidu reacted sharply to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s categorical statement on denial of special status to the State and insistence that he continues to be the BJP’s friend. “My State and its best interests are everything to me. Those who are with me in this fight are my friends and rest are my foes,” he tweeted.
During the debate in the Lok Sabha, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who had promised to make the first signature on the file of SCS if his party claimed power in 2019, devoted hardly a minute to AP in his speech. “In Galla’s speech, I sensed a deep feeling of pain. I want to tell that AP is a victim of the 21st-century political weapon called Jhumla Strike,” he said on Andhra.