Hyderabad: In yet another major shock to residuary AP, Union minister of state for finance Jayanth Sinha on Wednesday made it clear that the Centre was neither going to consider Special Category Status nor felt that there was any need to grant it.
The Centre also made it clear that no further sanctions accorded to AP, save the funds released so far towards bridging the revenue deficit in the Budget. This is the second time within a week that the Centre has rejected the demand of Special Category Status to AP, virtually going back on the promise made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha at the time of bifurcation.
Making a strong objection to the written reply by Mr Sinha to TD Anakapalle MP Muttamsetty Srinivas Rao, Guntur MP Galla Jayadev warned the BJP that it will meet a fate similar to the Congress in AP which was wiped out in the last general elections.
Mr Jayadev, during a special mention in the Lok Sabha, said that the people of AP have been deceived and were shell-shocked. He wondered if a promise made by the then Prime Minister on the Floor of the House had no value, how could the people believe any statement or promise made by present Prime Minister in the future.
Last Friday, Union minister of state for home Haribhai Chaudhary had rejected the special status demand in the Rajya Sabha and this time it was by Mr Sinha in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
“As per the guidelines and procedures laid down by the 14th Finance Commission, there is no need for Special Category Status to AP and Centre has no intention of amending the guidelines to facilitate the Status,” Mr Sinha said in a written answer to Mr Srinivas Rao.
The MoS also said there was no provision in AP Reorganisation Act that obligates Centre to accord Special Status. He said though there was no specific provision in the Act for the Centre to finance the revenue deficit of a state, it had still sanctioned Rs 2,803 crores towards this.
Mr Jayadev ridiculed the meagre allocation of funds by the NDA government to the state, including for Polavaram and said that he was apprehensive about when the project would be completed due to the meagre funds.
