DC debates the question of special category state for residual Andhra Pradesh
DC debates the question of special category state for residual AP and the role that is being played by the BJP and the TD in the state
K. Chiranjeevi Vs Sujana Chowdary
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K. Chiranjeevi (Congress Rajya Sabha Member)
If the BJP and the TD fail to deliver on this promise to the people of AP, history will not condone them for this betrayal.
Our worst fears seem to be coming true. It’s been 11 months since the new government has been installed at the Centre. Yet the government has been dragging its feet on the critical question of when residual Andhra Pradesh would be given the much needed status of special category state, as was committed in the State Reorganisation Bill, 2014, and as promised by BJP/TD during the 2014 election campaign and right after. The government’s non-committal, evasive attitude and strategic silence, when two MPs posed very direct question this week, on the Special Category issue, confounds our fears, that the BJP-led NDA government is not inclined to honour their commitments. People had hoped that since its only NDA and NDA partner parties that are in power at both the Centre and the state, they would be fulfilling their election promises right away.
However, it did not take long for these hopes to evaporate, what with both the BJP and the TD collectively and individually issuing contradictory statements, time and again, on various poll time promises including the ‘special’ status to the state.
In the wake of nearly all regional and national political parties giving letters and expressing support for the bifurcation of United AP, the Congress had introduced the State Reorganisation Bill in Parliament. In that scenario, myself as the then Union tourism minister along with my other Cabinet colleagues and members of Parliament from the AP region, held numerous meetings and wanted to ensure that the interests of the people of residual Andhra Pradesh are protected, if the state was to be imminently bifurcated.
While Special Category status to residual AP was the most prominent among our demands, there were several other definitive measures we sought and pursued relentlessly with the then Prime minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. As a result of our efforts, the UPA government considered and included the Special Category Status and special package for the backward regions of Uttarandhra and Rayalaseema, in the AP State Reorganisation Bill, 2014. Dr Manmohan Singh had declared the government’s resolve toward this end in his Rajya Sabha address on 20 February 2014. When the bill was debated in Rajya Sabha, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu claimed that the next government will be theirs and that they would further extend the special category status from the promised five years to 10 years and that they will ensure unparalleled development of residual AP.
Both BJP and TD leaders lured the Telugu voters of AP, with these very promises. BJP even prominently included the promise to accord special category state status for 10 years, in their 2014 manifesto. Chandrababu Naidu’s feeble efforts during his many trips to Delhi, ironically to convince people about the seriousness of his pursuit for special category, were contrasted by the indifferent, impatient responses of Mr Venkaiah Naidu’s, when asked about the special category. At least now, the TD should put people’s interests over petty political gains and should lead an all party delegation to Delhi on this issue.
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Sujana Chowdary (Mos, Science and Technology)
The TDP and the BJP wings of the state are regularly following up and we are confident of getting special category status to our state.
The Central Planning Minister on April 20 has not mentioned that special status will not be given at all to AP. As a matter of fact finance minister Arun Jaitley told the media about the same position based on the 14th Finance Commission and assured that some alternates are being examined to support the state of AP. The TDP and the BJP wings of the state are regularly following up and we are confident of getting special category status to our state. People of AP should question the Congress party, who are making empty noises now, what prevented them from including this in the bill when they bifurcated the united state unscientifically and undemocratically.
It was a fact that on a strong demand by MPs belonging to the TDP and the BJP, the then PM Manmohan Singh assured Parliament on February 20, 2014, that for the purposes of Central assistance, Special Category Status will be extended to the successor state of Andhra Pradesh for a period of five years. This will put the state's finances on a firmer footing. But political critics must keep some key facts in mind. In the past, Special Category Status has been granted to certain states for the purpose of Externally Aided Project assistance based on the following features that necessitated special consideration: i) hilly and difficult terrain ii) low population density, and/or sizeable share of tribal population iii) strategic location along borders with neighbouring countries iv) economic and infrastructure backwardness; and v) non-viable nature of state finances. Eleven states have been declared special category states, which include eight North-Eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The 14th Finance Commission in its recommendations which were approved by the Union government recently dispensed with according special category status to states and even scaled down the assistance to a few states. But the demand from the AP government was because of the non-viable nature of state's finances and its economic and infrastructure backwardness it should be extended the Special Category Status. This request has been under active consideration of the Centre and we have not rejected it. The Centre has not abolished the distinction between Special Category and General Category states thus far. Further, the case for considering Andhra Pradesh on par with Special Category States for the purpose of central allocations and externally assisted project, financing has become stronger following the Central government's decision to disconnect 12 central schemes from central assistance and transfer the revenue expenditure of another 13 schemes to the states. The fiscal situation of the AP government would not permit financing these 25 schemes during the next five years.
The Union finance minister has assured the CM that he would be prepared to provide EAP assistance as 90 per cent grant on par with special category states. When the purpose of Special Category Status was to get more funds from the Centre which anyway the NDA government is committed to, the hue and cry of political criticism is most unwarranted.
