Hyderabad: The AP Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to implement expeditiously all the provisions contained in the AP Reorganisation Act, including grant of the Special Category status as promised by the Prime Minister on the floor of the Rajya Sabha.
The resolution also sought local status, increase in assembly seats, and special financial support for the new capital, by way of implementation of Section 8 of AP Reorganisation Act.
Moving the resolution, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said the Centre should resolve all these promises in a time-bound manner. Meanwhile, opposition leader Jagan Mohan Reddy said he was not sure of the sincerity of Mr Naidu.
“If he is sincere about achieving all these, he must fix a one-month deadline with the Centre and then withdraw TD ministers from the Union cabinet. Or there would be no meaning in passing a resolution.” Mr Jagan said the Assembly had passed a resolution on Special Category status and sent it to the Centre in the past. “What happened to that?,” he asked.
Earlier in the day, Mr Naidu moved the resolution thanking the efforts of the Union Government in resolving certain issues pertaining to state reorganisation.
It also noted that the Centre was yet to resolve many issues relating to the Reorganization Act. Reacting to Jagan’s demand to fix a deadline, Mr Naidu said the state was looking up to the Centre to get many projects and funds.
“It is important that we maintain cordial relations with the Centre.” And indirectly criticising Jagan, Naidu said, “Some people are taking such things very lightly, but it is a life-and-death question for the people of Andhra Pradesh.”
Endowments minister P. Manikyala Rao (BJP) said his party was supporting the resolution moved by the CM. Ruling party member M. Venugopal Reddy suggested that the CM may also think about taking all the 175 MLAs to PM Modi to pile pressure on the Centre.
