NELLORE: The comments made by BJP senior leader and Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu here on Saturday kicked up a storm in political circles, against the backdrop of the ‘rift’ between the Center and AP government over special category status to the state.
A day before chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is scheduled to visit Nellore district, Venkaiah Naidu said the special status provision was not in the AP Reorganisation Act. However, the BJP-led NDA government is kind enough to allocate funds for the development of Andhra Pradesh, said the minister who was here to inaugurate a medical camp at Swarna Bharath Trust (SBT) run by his daughter Deepa Venkat.
He indirectly advised the TDP to maintain dignity while criticising prime minister Narendra Modi or the NDA government. Otherwise, it might lead to further gap between the two.
“I request the TDP leadership and the government to be friendly with the Centre, which is keen to address all the problems being faced by the newly carved out state. It will not be possible for any government to release adequate funds immediately as demanded by the state. The Central government is also facing a financial crises,” he said.
Alleging that Congress is responsible for non-completion of Polavaram project, he said former prime ministers like Indira Gabdhi failed to initiate necessary measures leading to the present crisis. However, his government is committed to completing the project in a phased manner, he said. His government is trying to set right the wrongs of previous regimes since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, he said.