VIJAYAWADA:Congress party leaders and activists staged a protest demonstration here Sunday demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh as promised on the floor of the Parliament.
Forming a human-chain at the Lenin Centre and raising anti-establishment slogans, they said injustice was done to the state in budgetary allocations. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had failed to make the Modi government see reason in allocating funds for the state, Congress leaders said.
Later, addressing a media conference, APCC vice-president Devineni Rajasekhar (Nehru) said though BJP promised many funds in the run-up to General Elections, its government had failed to fulfill even a single promise.
“What they have allocated is peanuts and which is not even sufficient for paper work involved in preparation of the project reports. Just `100 crore to Polavaram project? Is it a joke? How is one expected to complete such a big project with that meagre allocation? It only reflects on Naidu’s inefficiency,” he said
He also took exception to several of cuts imposed on allocations to the state and wondered how a state having a huge budget deficit is expected to function without proper allocations. He blamed the state government’s plans for Pattiseema reason for the meagre allocations to Polavaram.
Asked about capital region farmers’ issue, he said an action plan in that regard would be prepared during the meeting with PCC chief on March 7.
APCC spokesperson K Sivaji demanded the resignation of irrigation minister D Umamaheswara Rao for finalising work orders for NS canal works without proper tender process.