Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is said to be in touch with the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to seek their support in opposing any move by the Centre to give special incentives or special status to Andhra Pradesh when the Lok Sabha takes up the debate on the no-confidence motion on Friday.
Mr Rao feels that these three states will be affected if Andhra Pradesh gets special incentives or status as industries from Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru may shift to Andhra Pradesh to claim special incentives. The former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the late Jayalalithaa, had opposed special incentives for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in 2014 after the state was bifurcated.
The ruling JD(S) in Karnataka too is worried if special incentives are given to Andhra Pradesh. Mr Rao wants these three states to support only those issues that were promised to Andhra Pradesh in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, and not fulfilled so far and special status to Andhra Pradesh was not in the Act. The TRS MPs will raise this issue during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government that is being heard on Friday.
TRS deputy floor leader in the Lok Sabha B.Vinod Kumar said that, “For the TRS, the interests of Telangana are of utmost importance. There is no mention of giving special status to Andhra Pradesh in the bifurcation Act. How can they demand something which is not there in the Act? How can they move a no-confidence motion on such issues? If Andhra Pradesh is given special status or special industrial incentives, it will affect neighbouring states as industrialists may try to shift their operations to Andhra Pradesh to claim special concessions and incentives. Even if they remain in existing states, they may plan expansion operations in Andhra Pradesh. There will be no level playing field, which is not fair.”
He said that the TRS party will oppose any move by the Central government that will affect the interests of Telangana. “Our strategy in the House during the no-confidence motion will be in accordance with the interests of Telangana.” TRS party sources said that the CM has alerted Karnataka CM H.D. Kumaraswamy and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palanisami on the need to oppose special status to Andhra Pradesh.
