Jaitley's assurance fails to assuage agitated Andhra MPs

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's assurance that an alternative mechanism would be worked out to provide financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh today failed to convince the agitated members from the state who continued to protest in support of their demand.
The protest continued in the Lok Sabha with lawmakers of the Telugu Desam Party and the YSR Congress, both arch-rivals in Andhra Pradesh, coming together to demand financial concessions for their state.
Vociferous protests by members of NDA ally Telugu Desam Party forced brief adjournment of Lok Sabha proceedings earlier in the day, as they demanded special package for Andhra Pradesh.

Members of YSR Congress, who were in the Well displaying placards along with TDP MPs, staged a walkout during the debate on the motion of thanks to President for his address, despite the assurance given by Jaitley.
"I think a solution by which an amount can be given through an alternative mechanism is being worked out. I have asked the expenditure secretary today to immediately call the finance secretary of Andhra Pradesh to Delhi and work out procedural formalities, so that it can be done," Jaitley said in Rajya Sabha after TDP members trooped into Well raising slogans over their demands.

"That amount will be the same. Let's be assured that there should not be any difficulty," he said.

In his speech, TDP member Narasimham Thota described Jaitley's budget "an insult to the people of Andhra Pradesh" and demanded that all promises made by the NDA government at the time of bifurcation of the state should be fulfilled without delay.
The promises include special category status for Andhra Pradesh, completion of Polavaram irrigation project, financial support for setting up a new capital and setting up of a new railway zone at Visakhapatnam, he said.
The central government, he said, should display political will and fulfill the promises made to the people of Andhra Pradesh on the floor of the house.

YSRCP member P V Midhun Reddy said his party would continue the protest till special category status was granted to Andhra Pradesh.
Observing that Jaitley had already unveiled the last budget of the current NDA government, he wanted to know when the government would fulfill the promise made to the people of Andhra.