Vijayawada: Denying special category status to Andhra Pradesh is a constitutional obligation after the adoption of the 14th Finance Commission report, said Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Friday.
Speaking to state party leaders here, Mr Jaitley said the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government is extending unprecedented support to the state. He said that the newly formed state of Andhra Pradesh is to get Rs 2.317 lakh crore from the Centre during the ongoing five-year term of the NDA government.
Despite rejecting special category status for AP, the Union government is providing a special assistance package for the state, which will ensure the benefits of SCS with regard to evolution of funds carry the same benefits, he said.
He reminded his audience that it was he and his colleague M. Venkaiah Naidu who fought for the interests of the state at the time of bifurcation.
During the 10 years of the UPA government at the Centre, Andhra Pradesh got only Rs 1.08 lakh crore, which is not even half of what it will get in five years of his government, Mr Jaitley said, and added that this is something every BJP worker can take pride in.
The finance minister was generous in his praise of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and the world class capital city he is building. With the kind of planning, infrastructure and design that has gone into it, Amaravati will be a model city, he said. The Union government will provide assistance for it, he added.
Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said it was Arun Jaitley who engineered the special assistance package for Andhra Pradesh. Brushing aside criticism on the SCS, he said the package was now a reality thanks to their fight in the Rajya Sabha during bifurcation.
