Though AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and senior BJP leaders are still trying to fool people over special status to Andhra Pradesh, the Centre has once again made it clear that there is no way the demand can be conceded.
Instead, the Centre has hinted that it might come out with a special package of financial assistance to offset the losses caused to AP after bifurcation.
This was evident from the statements of both Union Minister of Home Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs M Venkaiah Naidu in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday in response to the protests and demands from the MPS of the State for a special status.
While Rajnath Singh said the Centre would not let down the aspirations of the people of the two Telugu States and would fulfill all assurances made in the AP Reorganization Act, Venkaiah Naidu clarified that no clause has been incorporated in the AP Reorganization Act for granting a special status to the State of AP.
However, the Union Ministry of Finance was examining all possibilities of providing a special package to the residual State to tide over its financial crisis, he assured.
YSR Congress Party MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy lashed out at the Centre for denying special status to AP despite an assurance made by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament.
Asserting that it was the bounden duty of the NDA government to fulfill the assurances made by the previous regime, he warned that the present unrest among the people of the State on the issue might erupt like a volcano if no assurance comes forth immediately from the Union government.
In the meantime, former bureaucrat and founder-president of Lok Satta Party, Jayapraksh Narayan, expressed his doubts about AP getting a special status.
While criticizing some political leaders of trying to exploit the issue for selfish ends by instigating agitations, he wanted a united struggle by setting aside party ideologies to achieve the special status to the State.
The special status issue seemed to slowly and steadily snowballing into a major movement in the State.
