VIJAYWADA: Amidst conflicting reports on whether or not Narendra Modi administration would bestow special category status to AP, BJP general secretary P Muralidhara Rao has said that his party would honour all its commitments made to the people of the state including special category status to AP.
Replying to a question at a news conference here on Thursday, the BJP leader said that though he cannot set any time-frame on when the special category status would be granted, he was sure that the party would do it in the course of time. "Our president Amit Shah himself has said the party has not backed out on its promise of delivering the special category status. It is a decision taken at top level in the government and in the party. They would decide the time frame. If you ask me when, I would not be able to present a time table for you," Muralidhara Rao said.
On his party's claim that after the advent of the BJP government at the centre, the prices of essential commodities had come down, the BJP general secretary could not give a satisfactory reply to a volley of questions on why the prices were still very high. "The Consumer Price Index (CPI) has indicated inflation has come down. You only have published the stories in your columns. The BJP has nothing to do with how the CPI is calculated. The index says that the inflation is about 4.5 per cent," he said.
When pointed out that the CPI did not reflect the ground reality and that the prices were still very high, he said that in respect of toor dhal, the price is on the heavier side as fresh supplies are yet to arrive in the market. Once this happens, the price would stabilise, he said. Asked if the amendment to the Land Acquisition Act was not running in conflict with the party's stand to be on the side of the farmers, Muralidhar Rao said that the purpose of the amendment was to acquire land for infrastructure purpose but not to gift iy to corporate companies. "Infrastructure is meant for people. If you ask a farmer to give his land for a hospital though it is meant for public good, he would not do it. That is why we have the amendment," the BJP general secretary said, adding that the amendment was brought in after obtaining the opinion of states and their chief ministers.
Asked what the AP had said about the amendment, he said that the opinions of all states were announced in the Parliament. "If you what to know what AP has said, refer the (Parliament) records," he said. Asked how the party intends to grow in Andhra Pradesh and occupy the Congress' space at a time when the latter does not even exist anymore in the state, Muralidhara Rao said that effort would be to win those who still had the Congress mind though the party has been routed in the recent elections. "The party has been defeated but the party continue to exists in the minds of some people. We are after them," he said but refused to acknowledge the fact that the Congress was down and out.
He refused to comment on the fact that in southern states only regional parties were holding sway and if the BJP was targeting them. He also did not answer the question on at whose expense -TDP or the YSRC - the party intends to grow in AP. "I cannot give you answers which you like," he said.