Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu once again listed out various ways in which AP is being politically victimised by the BJP government at the Centre.
Naidu made these observations before the members of 15th Finance Commission in the presence of his cabinet colleagues, chief secretary, principal secretaries and others here in Amaravati on Thursday.
He told them how Centre avoided giving promised special category status to AP by citing reasons that 14th Finance Commission has recommended against it.
He asked the finance commission to recommend and ensure that Centre gives a grant of Rs. 9,000 crore for construction of Amaravati capital city just on the lines of how a grant of Rs. 4,500 cr was given to Naya Raipur, capital of Chhatisgarh.
AP CM also wanted Centre to release Rs. 22,250 crore towards taking up developmental projects and welfare measures in the seven backward districts of AP located in Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra regions.
Saying that there was bias in devolution of funds, Naidu said that huge amounts were allocated for metro cities in Madhya Pradesh while at the same time Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam were totally neglected.
He told the finance commission members that Centre has not fulfilled reorganisation promises to the unjustly separated AP state but the AP government has gone ahead with massive development and welfare programmes with available limited resources.
Naidu specifically referred to the promise of special status and tax reliefs to AP, saying that denial of these promises was nothing but political victimisation of the state by Centre.
He recalled how Rs. 350 cr for assistance to backward districts was transferred to and later withdrawn from AP government account without following basic fair banking practices.
Naidu has been raising economic injustice being done to AP by BJP at every forum, which has caused much concern among BJP state leaders these days.
Though BJP leaders like GVL Narasimha Rao are trying to attack TDP in different ways, their arguments are not carrying weight even among the common people who are unhappy over how national parties have treated AP during and after state separation.
