Andhra CM meets Rajnath, discusses developmental issues

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here and discussed developmental issues.

"Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu called on the HM in New Delhi today," said a tweet from the Home Ministry's official twitter handle HMO.

Sources in Naidu's Telugu Desam Party said during his meeting, Naidu raised issues concerning developmental matters of the state and also on issues related to bifurcation of the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister had urged for early decision from the central government to designate Andhra Pradesh under special category state.

At the annual TDP convention at Tirupati in May, a section of party members mounted pressure on TDP chief Naidu to harden his stance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government and press for the special status -- a promise made in parliament by the then Congress government when Telangana was carved out in 2014.

The idea for special category status was to compensate Andhra Pradesh for the losses it suffered due to the division because all industrial and commercial development was concentrated around the capital Hyderabad that geographically belonged to the Telangana region.

The status, which involves a huge financial package, is normally given to economically backward states in India.

"We are not asking any undue favour from the Centre. The Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act was brought by the Congress (government), but it is also true that all parties supported it," Naidu had reporters at Tirupati in May.

--IANS

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