AP CM welcomes the special package in order to pocket commissions

• Babu asked for 15 years of special status at the time of bifurcation
• Promise mentioned in TDP manifesto
• Commenting later that special category is not a wonder drug
• YSRCP's struggle for achievement of special category status

Hyderabad: The centre divided the state against people’s wishes. The new AP was born with 13 districts without even a capital. As a result, compared to the other states in the country, AP is industrially backward. Industrialisation only will lead to creation of jobs, ultimately leading to development. When discussion happened in Rajya Sabha over reorganization bill, the PM of that time, Manmohan Singh, proposed that AP should be given 5 years of special category status and specified that the matter of special category status did not need to be included in the bill as he was promising its sanction in the position of the Prime Minister. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu then suggested for 10 years of the status instead. In a cabinet meeting that later happened, it was resolved that AP would be given the status. In elections that followed, BJP as well as TDP promised the sanction of the status, also mentioning in the manifesto.

BJP that suggested 10 years of status took charge in the centre and TDP that appealed for 15 years of status formed Government in AP. But the idea never took shape.

CM Chandrababu who was supposed to insist on the status, mortgaged the state’s benefits at the centre to selfishly get out of his legal cases. Finally, ‘welcoming’ special package announced by the union Government, he slaughtered the hopes of the people of AP. Taking it easy, the centre gave up the idea of ever sanctioning special category status to AP and called it quits by sanctioning special package.

YSRCP president YS Jagan called for fighting for special category status rather than be satisfied with nominal special package. He made it clear that package could go additional to special status but could not replace it. YS Jagan took up a movement since 2.5 years for this purpose. When he observed indefinite hunger strike in Guntur, Chandrababu tried to water down the struggle by distracting the strike. He explained in the assembly and outside about benefits of special category status. He has been relentlessly fighting for the cause.

Chandrababu favoured special package because there would not be anything to benefit him if the union Government took up the construction of Polavaram project. Even before 24 hours of the centre’s handing over Polavaram project to the state Government, the project’s head works’ contractor and TDP MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao was profited by Rs.1,481 crore. As soon as finance minister Arun Jaitley announced the special package on the 7th of September, AP Government issued orders (GO96) raising the estimated expenditure of the head works to Rs.5,535.41 crore. 

SLSC (State Level Standing Committee) gave a report earlier indicating that Transtroy had no capacity to comlete head works of Polavaram and the company had to be disqualified. Rayapati was in Congress party at that time. Chandrababu, being the opposition leader at that time, raised objection over offering the contract to Rayapati. As Rayapati later wore the yellow shirt, they plotted a plan for huge robbery through his company.

Changing his colours, Chandrababu, the political chameleon, using power and corruption, mortgaged AP’s benefits for his selfishness.