Cong delegation to Prez demands Special Category Status to AP

A delegation of Andhra Pradesh Congress today met President Pranab Mukherjee and a host of political leaders accusing the BJP government at the Centre of "failure" to honour its promise of Special Category Status (SCS) to the state.
The party claimed it has collected signatures of one crore people of Andhra Pradesh who are "incensed" at the "inordinate delay" in granting SCS.
The Congress leaders said there was an "unambiguous consensus" among all parties before Lok Sabha polls that SCS was a non-negotiable need for Andhra Pradesh in its post-bifurcation development.
Even the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a statement in the Rajya Sabha promising SCS to the state in 2014, and passed a resolution in the last Cabinet meeting of the UPA government.

"At the time, BJP pledged its support for SCS as well. SCS for Andhra Pradesh was specifically included in BJP's election manifesto and Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu assured on the floor of the Rajya Sabha that BJP would grant SCS to Andhra Pradesh for 10 years.
"However, after coming to power, BJP reversed its position, stating that for various reasons, special status would not be possible for Andhra Pradesh. When confronted, BJP's response is full of falsehoods," the party alleged.

"Consensus from all states was not obtained for 10 states that currently have SCS. Today, all the BJP government needs to do is issue an executive order after obtaining resolution from the National Development Council (NDC). Yet, when we raise these points, we are not met with answers but with silence.

"It is also important to mention Special Category Status is not the only promise that BJP has failed to deliver for Andhra Pradesh. Several key developmental provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act are still pending, including tax incentives for industrialisation, finance for the Polavaram Project, reimbursement for the fiscal deficit, and financial assistance for backward areas," the delegation said in the memorandum to the President.
Holding that it is the duty of the state government to represent the rights of the state before the Centre, the Congress alleged TDP, despite being a coalition partner in the NDA, has been completely "ineffective" in this regard.

Talking about the agitations by the Congress on this issue in the last two years, the delegation sought the President's intervention in ensuring that the commitments made to Andhra Pradesh are honoured immediately.
The delegation, led by PCC president N Raghuveera Reddy, also met JD(U) President Sharad Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and CPI General Secretary D Raja.