Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is in Delhi to attend the high-profile marriage reception of BJP president Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday evening.
Telangana State Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who will also attend the reception, is expected to meet Modi on Monday. Both the Chief Ministers are expected to seek additional funds and projects for their respective states in the ensuing Union Budget to be presented later this month.
However, the Prime Minister’s meeting with Naidu assumes significance as the AP Chief Minister is under tremendous pressure from party leaders as well as the Opposition to prevail upon Modi to grant Special Category status to the state, release '20,000 crore for construction of a capital city, extend tax incentives to industrial sector and bridge the more than '19,000 crore revenue deficit.
The Centre’s recent announcement of '850 crore to Andhra Pradesh has attracted widespread criticism. The Telugu Desam is an ally of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre and the '850-crore grant was described as ‘peanuts’ by the Opposition.
Naidu is expected to discuss the issues of disputes being raised by the Telangana government on every front, be it river water sharing, power sharing, bifurcation of government institutions and those in the 10th Reorganisation Act.
