Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said the Triple Talaq Bill should be sent to the Select Committee of Parliament, and the Centre should not frame a separate law to target Muslims.
Talking to reporters after the release of 9th white paper on 'Industry, Employment and Skill Development' in the state, Chief Minister Naidu said: "A separate law should not be made to target Muslims. They should be treated under normal judicial process. We are asking the government to send the bill to the Select Committee of Parliament."
The legislation, which makes the Triple Talaq practice a criminal offence with a provision of a three-year jail term for the erring husband, replaces an Ordinance issued by the Central government in September 2018.
It was passed by the Lower House of Parliament last week after the Central government asserted that it should not be seen from the prism of politics as 20 Islamic countries have already banned the practice and not secular India.
Reiterating his call for special status to Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Naidu further said that industries in the state will be benefited if special status was given by the Centre.
"Post-bifurcation, agriculture sector in the state increased considerably. We achieved 10.5 per cent growth rate in industries. Higher growth rate should be achieved in industries and service sectors. Only then the per capita income will increase. We are working in that direction," he said.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led Central government, the TDP supremo alleged that grants were not allotted for Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor, while the government invested in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, which he said was a 'betrayal.'
"The Centre did not fulfill the re-organisation assurance of setting up a green-field petrochemical corridor. They did not fulfill the assurance of setting up a steel factory at Kadapa. We are developing food processing industries and focusing on skill development. Tourism is crucial in the service sector. Health tourism and education tourism are important growth engines," he said.
"Before 2014, Andhra Pradesh was lagging behind in manufacturing growth rate for ten years, which was less than the national average. The state could not get the financial incentives given to the special status states. During 2009-14, only Rs 312 crore per annum was released for industrial incentives. After 2014, the figures rose four times and became Rs 1,218 crore per annum," added Naidu.
"The Centre is not setting up the petrochemical corridor at Kakinada. We are taking the initiative. The Centre said it will establish an IT corridor in Visakhapatnam, but did not keep its promise. We will develop Bhavanapadu, Krishnapatnam and Machilipatnam ports as state ports," said Naidu.
The Chief Minister further said that a special corporation has been set up for MSMEs, while loans amounting to Rs 82,097 crore have been given to MSMEs during 2014-18. "Many companies are coming to the state in the areas of food processing, jute, automobile, pharmaceuticals, and tourism sectors. We are developing three industrial nodes under CBIC, at Krishnapatnam, Orvakallu, and Hindupuram," he said.
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