The Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh continues to remain elusive and this is widening the chasm between the Bharaitya Janata Party (BJP) and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). The Centre is time and again giving pinpricks to the Andhra Pradesh government that are turning out to be an embarrassment to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
In the latest such instance, Union Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, in a written response to a question raised by Telugu Desam MP Avanthi Srinivas in the Lok Sabha, categorically stated on Wednesday that the Centre could not grant Special Category Status (SCS) to the state.
He also asserted that the Centre would also not compensate the deficit in the state’s budget. The minister said that there was no mention in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014 that the state would be accorded Special Category Status.
Last week, the Centre, almost slammed the door on the face of the TDP when Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai P Chaudhary announced in Rajya Sabha that Andhra Pradesh did not require any special status as the Centre was fulfilling all its promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014. The NITI Ayog was working on a special financial package and a report on that was expected soon.
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