YSRCP to move private member’s bill in Parliament seeking special status for AP

New Delhi: The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) will move a private member’s bill in the current session of Parliament seeking the special category state status to Andhra Pradesh.

The bill seeking to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 was listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha on Friday but it could not be taken up due to the adjournment of the House.

“Our long-pending demand for special category status has not been met by the government. There was no option but to bring a private member’s bill,” Lok Sabha MP from Anantapur constituency Talari Rangaiah told reporters here.

The party members and the chief minister have raised this issue several times within and outside Parliament in the past few years, but unfortunately the central government has not fulfilled its promise made during the state’s bifurcation, he said.

With this private member’s bill, the YSRCP wants to raise awareness about the issue which is important for the economic development of Andhra Pradesh, Rangaiah said and expressed confidence of getting support from the Opposition parties.

N Reddeppa, the Lok Sabha MP from Chittoor, said the party has also demanded setting up of a railway zone in Vishakapatnam, Rs 5,000 crore allocation for AIIMS in Amaravati and budgetary allocation for inter-linking of rivers project.

The party will continue to fight until the demands are fulfilled, he added.

Subhash Chandra Bose Alluri, the MP from Narsapuram, said funds are required for the development of the state. A special category status will help Andhra Pradesh attract more investments and revive its economy.

In 2014, Andhra Pradesh was promised special category status by the Congress government at the Centre during the state’s bifurcation and by the BJP during the course of its 2014 election campaign.

Manmohan Singh, who was then prime minister, had assured in the the Rajya Sabha that a special status would be extended to Andhra Pradesh for five years. This oral submission has been the basis for Andhra Pradesh’s claim to the status.

However, the granting of special category status was restricted by the 14th Finance Commission which did away with the distinction between general and special category states.