Telugu Desam Party president, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu missed a golden opportunity to bring to the notice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh, at the Amaravati foundation stone laying function.
Neither Chandrababu not Venkaiah had raised the demand during their speeches at the public meeting, which was an ideal platform for them to get some sort of announcement from Modi.
Had they raised the demand, the Prime Minister should have definitely responded – either positively or negatively.
He would have at least made an announcement of at least a special package to compensate the loss to the State in not giving the special category status. But both the Naidus had failed to utilize the golden opportunity, say observers.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president N Raghuveera Reddy wondered why the BJP leaders, who were questioning the UPA government for not including the special category status issue in the AP Reorganisation Bill, were now keeping silent.
“Modi is very much aware that the special category status issue was part of the State BJP manifesto in 2014 elections. Why didn’t he talk about implementing the manifesto in letter and spirit, instead of just Reorganisation Act?” he questioned.
Terming Chandrababu's son and TDP national working president Nara Lokesh as an extra-constitutional authority Raghuveera asked Lokesh in what capacity he had given directions to the senior IAS officers at Amaravati who were drafted for duty there on Thursday.
