Chandrababu Naidu seeks appointment with PM on Andhra special status issue

With Opposition parties stepping up attack on him over special category status to Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said he has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue and other promises made to the state during bifurcation last year.

"I have sought Prime Minister's appointment. I am writing letters for meeting Union Ministers. Very soon, I will request them to cooperate for resolving these problems," Naidu said, addressing a public meeting in Visakhapatnam district.

Naidu's comments came on a day when the main opposition YSR Congress, led by its president and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, held a dharna near Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding granting of the special status.

The CPI has called for AP bandh tomorrow, in support of demand for the special status, and the state Congress has also extended its support for the shut-down.

A Congress activist succumbed yesterday to the burns he suffered after he immolated himself in support of the demand at a party meeting in Tirupati on Saturday.

"I expressed my deep anguish on the incident in Tirupati yesterday. I am requesting all not to resort to sacrifices. If need be, we will take up programmes to win over the Centre.

But, if you indulge in tragedies out of emotions, then families will suffer. We will be troubled. I want that to be remembered," the Chief Minister said.

Naidu's TDP shares power with BJP at Centre and in AP.

The promise of giving special status to Seemandhra (new Andhra Pradesh) was made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament during state bifurcation last year.

Noting that Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated without a capital city of its own and amid a massive revenue deficit, Naidu said there are many problems and that the Centre needs to help the state till it catches up with neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka on the development front.