All eyes are cast on chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. How he is going to present the case for special category state status for Andhra Pradesh in his proposed meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at New Delhi tomorrow and how he would try to keep the TDP-NDA alliance afloat till 2019, are the important question being talked about. Many in TDP anticipate the meeting either would decide the fate of the TDP-NDA alliance or prove that the entire commotion is a storm in the tea cup.
While the pressure from the Opposition is understood, TDP also in a way has indirectly mounted pressure on Naidu to raise the matter in his meeting with PM. According to official sources the original agenda of the meeting is drought situation and relief measures being taken to provide succor to the people of drought-hit regions. For the past one week, provoked by the BJP’s statement that the centre had given enough money to the state, TDP started raising the matter of non-implementation of assurances on according special status to Andhra Pradesh by PM during his election campaign in 2014 and Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley in Parliament. TDP leaders started claiming that Naidu’s purpose of meeting the PM was to discuss the special category status and other issues related to the giving more assistance to the state.
Naidu held discussions with officials on Sunday and Monday regarding the funding received from the centre since June 8, 2014 when he assumed office as chief minister of successor state of Andhra Pradesh. According to sources Naidu is ascertaining the veracity of the statement given by BJP national president Amit Shah and national secretary Sidharthnath Singh. Amit Shah said centre had released Rs 1.4 lakh crore and while Sidharth said it was Rs 1.75 crore which are at variance with the figures reeled out ministers in Parliament.
CM Naidu is expected to place a report on the money released by the centre and the works on which the amount spent by the government in the past 24 months. Naidu is also expected to complain against some BJP leaders for their antagonistic statements against the state government and the party.He is expected express displeasure over the way some central leaders encouraging them.
