Reiterating that special status has no substitute, YSR Congress has said that TDP has been trying to water it down and making efforts to settle for a special package, which under no yardstick is a match as it is not in the interest of the people of the state but only benefits TDP leaders and cadre.
“Union Minister Y S Choudhary speaking on behalf of the BJP is highly condemnable and TDP which has been watering down the special status issue has been treading a path which is harmful to the people of the state,” party spokesperson Vasireddy Padma told reporters here on Friday.
He told Delhi media that Centre may not give special status but it has been working out a package which is equivalent to it. This is ridiculous as there is no substitute to special status.
If the status is accorded, people of the state will benefit due to rapid industrialisation and if package, which cannot be computed in lieu of special status, it benefits only the TDP government, its leaders and cadre.
The assurances given by the Centre during the division of the state should come in the form of package and Chandrababu Naidu should mount pressure on the Centre in getting the Vizag-Chennai highway and other assurances given during the bifurcation of the state.
Both BJP and TDP are trying to clip the wings of the fledgling state and we will not allow this to happen and will fight it out. TDP has been downplaying the special status right from the beginning and playing the blame game.
First Chandrababu said that it was not a wonder drug and his son Lokesh tells that northeast states did not develop despite special category status. There is lot of difference between Andhra Pradesh and northeast states and they are not comparable, she said.
