Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced flak from residents of Andhra Pradesh after he extended 'greetings' to them as the ruling TDP government was observing the 'Nava Nirmana Deeksha'.
Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated on June 2, 2014, and while newly-formed Telangana celebrates the date as formation day, the residual state does not share the same sentiment.
Taking to Twitter, Modi was cautious not to mention why he was wishing the citizens, saying, "Greetings to my sisters and brothers of Andhra Pradesh. I pray for the good health and prosperity of the people of the state."
Greetings to my sisters and brothers of Andhra Pradesh. I pray for the good health and prosperity of the people of the state.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 2, 2018
This did not go down too well with Twitter users from the state, who questioned Modi's wishes.
Many demanded that the state needed funds more than wishes at the moment and asked the Prime Minister to sanction the same.
"But why greeting? There is a very good saying... helping hands are better than praying hearts.. try to be the former.. and we all know that you are now doing the later (sic)," one user said.
Many also demanded Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and a railway zone with its headquarters at Visakhapatnam, both promises made to the state during bifurcation in 2014.
This came even as Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the Modi-led government was developing Gujarat at the cost of their state.
“When asked for funds, the Prime Minister is giving funds for Dholera city in Gujarat, while showing an empty hand for Amaravati. The government had established 11 Central institutions. But sufficient funds were not given. The IIT, NIT or the Central University were established but with insufficient funds. I have allocated lands for private institutions in Amaravati, which have constructed their own campus and started classes,” Naidu was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also wished the people of Telangana.
"On their Statehood Day, my best wishes to the people of Telangana. May the dreams and aspirations of the people of the state be fulfilled in the years to come," he said on Twitter.