For the past two years Telugu Desam Party has been promising for the last two years to secure special status for the state under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act.
On Tuesday as well, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu told the media that he had received an assurance from the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that the Centre would resolve all of the state’s issues including the question of special status.
Chandrababu Naidu said, "Jaitley spoke to me this morning and assured the Centre would resolve all issues, including the special status issue.
On whether he was satisfied with the Finance Minister's assurance, Naidu replied, "Am I ever satisfied with anything? Never. That's my specialty."
Naidu also assured the people that while his party MPs had not yet secured an appointment with the PM to present the state’s case, he will bring up the issue when he meets Modi on August 4 to invite him for the Krishna Pushkaram which will be celebrated in the state from August 12-23.
Opposition parties, however, have been unconvinced by Naidu’s repeated assurances on the issue, and have been building pressure on the CM. On August 2, a bandh call was given by the YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh, and was supported by other Opposition parties such as the CPI and Congress as well.
These leaders allege that special category status remains out of reach because of Naidu’s reluctance to step out of the NDA over Andhra issues. The reason for this reluctance, they allege, is that Naidu fears inquiries relating to scams in the state.
Reacting to Naidu’s statements on Tuesday, Botsa Satyanarayana, YSRCP leader told TNM, “He is scared to part ways with the NDA. Once he comes out of NDA, he will have to face enquiries on Amaravati capital scams.”
Satyanarayana said that while Naidu talks tall in news conferences, he has not put enough pressure on the centre on issues faced by the state. “Chandrababu Naidu doesn’t really put pressure on the centre. He simply goes to Delhi, meets ministers and makes false statements in press meets.”
Naidu’s frequent trips to Delhi, he added, were a façade. “What is the need to go to Delhi 23 times to talk about Andhra issues? In the end, we need a result. But here the state is not benefiting at all, so what’s the point in going to the capital so often?”