Vundavalli Asks AP Government to Sue Centre in SC over Spl Status

RAJAHMUNDRY: Strongly reacting to the Centre’s snub to AP by rejecting the latter’s demand for grant of Special Category Status to it, former MP Vundavalli Arun Kumar has demanded that the state government should sue the Centre on the issue in the Supreme Court and that the TDP should withdraw its two ministers from the central ministry.

Making the demands at a news conference here on Sunday, he added that the BJP-led NDA government’s action in this regard was a gross violation of the provisions of the AP State Reorganisation Act.

He recalled that at the time of bifurcation of the state, the then PM Manmohan Singh had not only given his consent for the grant of special category status to the residuary state but had also directed the then Planning Commission to  initiate the necessary follow-up steps.

He said that if the TDP government filed a suit against the NDA government in the SC, the apex court might immediately intervene in the matter and perhaps even ask the NDA government to grant the special status to AP.

He recalled that while the erstwhile UPA had offered to grant special status to AP for a period of five years, then BJP leader and now Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu had said that if the BJP came to power at the Centre it would ensure special status to AP for 10 years.