Chandrababu Naidu: PM Modi did not fulfill assurances made to us

Chandrababu Naidu

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh): TDP national president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday said the BJP had a clear role in the bifurcation of the state, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not fulfil the assurances made to "our state."

"BJP had a clear role in the division of Andhra Pradesh. I went to Delhi 29 times, seeking the implementation of provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, but in vain," Chief Minister Naidu said at a press conference here.

"PM Modi did not resolve even a single issue. Instead, he is attacking us. Had the Centre played the role of an elder brother, things would have been much better for AP by now," he said.

He said the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh was different from that of UP, MP, and Bihar as the state capital went to the state, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh.

"In UP, Bihar, and MP, the division was made as per the demand from the people of those regions. These regions had no capital. A special package was given at the time of division. The Centre supported well. But that did not happen in the case of AP. Telangana region which has the capital wanted the bifurcation. So this cannot be compared with the case of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh," he said.

Naidu also posed a series of questions related to the failure of the Central government in granting special status to Andhra.

"Why did not you give special status to Andhra? Why did not you fulfil the assurances made to us? So many parties and states expressed their solidarity but you did not cooperate. What's the problem? Why did not you grant Kakinada Petro Chemical Complex," he asked.

"In the name of funds for backward districts, you gave Rs 450 crore to Telangana, but took back Rs 350 crore given to Andhra," he said while criticising the Central government and PM Modi for not extending required support to Andhra Pradesh.

The election to all 25 parliamentary constituencies of Andhra Pradesh was held in the first phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on April 11. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

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