Don’t walk into Congress trap: Rajnath Singh to Chandrababu Naidu
GUNTUR: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday advised TDP chief and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to be cautious about the Congress, which, he said, was on the verge of becoming extinct. “Going by history, those who get caught in the Congress trap are doomed (jo phasa woh gaya),’’ Rajnath Singh said in an apparent reference to the TDP and Congress alliance in Telangana to form a ‘Maha Kutami’.
Addressing a public meeting in Guntur after laying the foundation stone for the party’s State headquarters at Mangalagiri on Tuesday, Rajnath Singh said Congress was now breathing its last, but Chandrababu Naidu was trying to put it on the ventilator to save it for some time.
“Chandrababu Naidu Ji, Congress has no chance of survival. UPA has become a non-performing asset and people of the country are aware of it.” The BJP strongman said he failed to understand even to this day as to why Chandrababu Naidu, who was part of the NDA, had left the coalition.
Rajnath Singh said Modi Sarkar was striving for the development of AP and was fully committed to it. “Let me assure you all, whatever needs to be done for AP will be done.”
Pointing out at the news reports of the Chief Minister thanking Prime Minister for a special focus on the State for four years when he was an ally of the NDA, Singh said the special package was the demand of Naidu and Modi Sarkar being fully committed to the development of the State gave “special treatment” to AP. “AP Reorganisation Act 2014 will be implemented in letter and spirit,” he asserted. Listing out various measures taken by the Centre for the development of the State since bifurcation, he said as, against four battalions of reserve police to Telangana, eight were given to AP. For Amaravati development, the State received Rs 1,500 crore in addition to Rs 100 crore for Vijayawada and Guntur. Of Rs 7,158 crore spent on Polavaram project, Rs 6,764 crore was released by the Centre. Similarly, the Centre gave Rs 1,050 for backward region development.
Rajnath Singh said, “I do not understand why the TDP is obsessed with special category status despite all the help.” “Though there is no provision for special package under the Constitution, the NDA Government has been extending special treatment to the State.” He said in 2016, AP was given special assistance package by approving Rs 8,140 crore worth Externally Aided Projects and Rs 20,000 crore worth of projects were in the pipeline.
“Still, Naidu is harping on special status, misleading people of the State.”
He assured all necessary assistance to cyclone-hit areas in the State. Condemning the killing of TDP MLA and a former MLA by Maoists, he promised assistance to the State in eliminating the Maoist problem.