It has become a routine affair for the parliament members from Andhra Pradesh to raise a question in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on granting special category status to the state every time, only to get the same answer from the Centre.
For the umpteenth time on Monday, the Centre has made it clear on the floor of Lok Sabha that there is no question of granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh. This time, the question was raised by Telugu Desam Party MP from Vijayawada Kesineni Nani.
Replying to the question, Union minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur clarified again that the demand for granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh was a closed chapter and there was no change in the stand of the Centre in this regard.
He reiterated that as per the recommendations of the 14th finance commission, no state would be given the special category status.
“The Centre had announced special package for Andhra Pradesh in lieu of special category status, which was accepted by the state,” he said.
Despite knowing fully well that the Centre would not give it, it has become a practice for the MPs, including those from YSR Congress party and the TDP, to raise the issue again and again only to hoodwink the people.
Kesineni’s question was obviously to embarrass the YSR Congress party which said it would continue to fight for the status every time.
Soon after the budget speech was completed by finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman, YSRC parliamentary party leader V Vijay Sai Reddy also criticised the Centre for ignoring the demand for special status to AP.
The issue will invariably figure in all the representations of the state to Delhi every time.