Signals from the Telugu Desam parliamentary party indicate that many MPs are in favor of extending support to the Congress sponsored private member’s bill in Rajya Sabha on Special Category State status to Andhra Pradesh.
According to party sources, chief minister Chandrababu Naid is toying with the idea of supporting the bill moved by Congress Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh Dr KVP Ramachandra Rao. The bill is expected to come up for a debate in the House on May 13. The Congress wants to embarrass the ruling NDA government on Special Category status issue as the Prime Minister had gone back on his own assurance during the campaign in Andhra Pradesh for 2014 elections, by demanding a voting. For the first time after United Front government Naidu is finding himself on the same page with Congress party at national level.
TDP, as the partner of NDA government, is not supposed to back the bill. But the bill is related to interests of Andhra Pradesh . And many mass organizations and opposition parties are trying to foment trouble in the state demanding special status to Andhra Pradesh and alleging that TDP government has not been serious because of his personal interests. So, Naidu doesn’t want the opportunity go un-exploited. Naidu has been in the habit not announcing the decision till the last moment. After the debate, a few minutes before voting takes place, he would instruct his MPs what to do.
Party sources admit in private that Naidu may extend the support to the bill at the nick of the moment. The CM is terribly upset by the centre, especially Prime Minister Narndra Modi, towards his style of spending the funds released by the centre. Naidu seems to have been briefed by some senior officials that the centre has suspected his sincerity and believes that he has diverted the funds released for the construction of the capital city by the centre.
This , they say, is the reason for the centre for not extending liberal assistance to the state. By extending support to KVP Ramachandrarao’s bill, Naidu would spending two messages across: one, to the people of the state that he was not non-serious on special status as is being alleged by the Congress, two, to the BJP that he would not take it lying down if his intentions are doubted.
