VISAKHAPATNAM: Coming down heavily on the Modi government, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the BJP-led NDA regime was playing with the lives of people of Andhra Pradesh. Speaking at a public meeting organised after the Grama Darshini programme at Gudivada village in S Rayavaram mandal on Tuesday, Naidu said the TDP had aligned with the BJP believing that it would provide adequate support to AP post bifurcation to achieve rapid economic development. Belying the expectations, the BJP government had backstabbed AP by not fulfilling the assurances given to the State at the time of bifurcation.
It had also cheated the people of the State by not implementing the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, he said. The Chief Minister said, “AP has been facing about Rs 1.22 lakh crore deficit as the Centre has given not more than `22,500 crore to it. In allocation of funds for major development projects also, AP is being meted out a raw deal.” Naidu lashed out at the YSR Congress and Jana Sena for colluding with the BJP by ignoring the interests of AP. Despite odds, the Telugu Desam government has been striving to develop the State on all fronts by utilising the available resources in an optimum manner.
Had the BJP government extended the necessary support to AP in the last four years, it would have been among the top five developed States in the country now, he said. On BC reservation to Kapus, Naidu said the TDP government was committed to provision of quota to the community. It had also initiated several measures for the welfare of other backward castes in the State. The TDP government is also examining to provide special reservation to fishermen community, he said.
The TDP chief alleged that the BJP government was not really committed to implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act in toto. Contrary to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s announcement in the Rajya Sabha that a new railway zone with Vizag as its headquarters would be set up, the BJP government informed in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court that the railway zone was not viable, the Chief Minister said. “AP is not seeking any favours from the Centre, but it is only asking for justice and implementation of all the assurances given to the State at the time of bifurcation. Though we are not seeking anything more, the Centre is indifferent to rightful demands of AP,” Naidu said.