Expedite Special Status process for AP: Congress

Opposition leader in the State Legislative Council C Ramachandraiah demanded from the Centre to expedite the process of granting 'Special Category Status' (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh post its bifurcation.
The senior Congress leader said it is a constitutional obligation on the NDA government to honour the previous government's decision, without nullifying it.
"Former cabinet of UPA government had decided to confer special status to the residue state of AP and announced the same in the Parliament and directed the Planning Commission to implement it," Ramachandraiah told PTI.
He said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during campaigning for the Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, had categorically announced in presence of Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan at a rally in Tirupati that SCS will be given to AP.

"Instead implementing the UPA's (government) decision and fulfil their own assurance, they are confusing the people with different statements and also trying to propagate many lies to cheat citizens of the state," he said.
Elucidating about the norms for giving SCS to a state, Ramachandraiah said the status can be given to a state "which is having unviable financial conditions and insufficient infrastructure".

"Now in view of the division, the residue AP state, which is mainly dependent on agriculture, has only two per cent of IT exports and no major industries. The state has no concrete infrastructure and only meagre income from other sources. Thus, AP is fit to avail special status," he said.

Ramachandraiah also charged chief minister Naidu with neglecting the Rayalaseema region for "political convenience".
"The chief minister is particularly neglecting Kadapa with political vengeance. The government should implement the special status for AP," he said.
He also demanded that the Centre and state government should complete the ongoing irrigation projects in the state and take steps to render basic facilities like drinking water to 'most backward' Rayalaseema region.