YSR Congress Party MP from Rajamahendravaram Margani Bharat on Wednesday alleged that the Andhra Pradesh BJP leaders, including Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, backstabbed the people of the State by influencing the Union Home Ministry to drop the Special Category Status (SCS) issue from the agenda of the Dispute Resolution Sub Committee’s (DRSC) first meeting held on February 12. Constituted by the Ministry of Home, the DRSC had met for the first time with the Chief Secretaries of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to resolve the issues arising out of the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014. Addressing the media here, Mr. Bharat alleged that Mr. Narasimha Rao had led the delegation that persuaded the Home Ministry to drop the SCS issue from the nine-point agenda of the DRSC. The committee had to meet to resolve only five issues instead of nine, he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had agreed that injustice had been done to Andhra Pradesh at the time of bifurcation of the State, Mr. Bharat said.
“Telangana has never opposed the grant of SCS to Andhra Pradesh. But, Andhra Pradesh BJP leaders have played the spoilsport,” Mr. Bharat said.
Polavaram project
While hailing the Centre for proposing to improve road infrastructure in the State, he said it would not be fair on its part to delay the reimbursement of the money spent on the Polavaram irrigation project. “The State government has been spending on the Polavaram project that has been declared as a national project. No State government is spending on any national project,” said Mr. Bharat.
“The Centre is yet to reimburse ₹2,100 crore spent on the project,” he added.
