The Congress party in Andhra Pradesh will adopt a declaration on Special Category Status (SCS) at its proposed Tirupati meeting scheduled on March 1, to bring the crucial issue back into focus, says APCC president Y.S. Sharmila.
Addressing the media here on February 28 (Wednesday), Ms. Sharmila said the party would adopt the declaration at the same place and venue from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a promise to the people of Andhra Pradesh on granting the SCS and other projects that find mention in the A.P. State Reorganisation Act, 2014.
“The Congress believes in balancing welfare and development,” Ms. Sharmila said, pointing to the ‘Indiramma Abhayam’ scheme announced by the party at its recent Anantapur meeting.
“The SCS is important for the development of our State. It is our right,” she said, launching a scathing attack on the YSR Congress Party and the Opposition TDP “for placing the crucial issue on the backburner to further their selfish motives.”
She said both the regional parties used the SCS only to garner votes. Recalling Mr. Modi’s promises made in Tirupati, she said besides SCS, he had promised to transform Andhra Pradesh into a hardware hub as part of the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. There was also a mention of a Petroleum Research University, and he had said that “we will build a capital of Andhra Pradesh which would be grander than the national capital.”
Stating that the BJP was in power at the Centre for the last 10 years but did not bother to fulfil any of the promises it made to the State, Ms. Sharmila said the most tragic part was despite the “grand betrayal by the party, the YSR Congress and the TDP in the State have been vying to appease the Centre.”
“The neighbouring States have been witnessing rapid development in all spheres, but for us, it’s a backward march,” she said.
Citing States such as Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, which were granted SCS, the APCC chief said new industries had come up creating employment opportunities there. “Andhra Pradesh is endowed with a long coastline. Imagine what wonders would have happened had we got SCS,” she said.
Pointing to the large-scale migration of youth to the neighbouring States in search of jobs, she expressed fear that A.P. might soon be reduced to a State without young population.
She also deplored the government for letting down the unemployed youth by going back on the promised ‘Mega DSC’. Ms. Sharmila said despite the party’s weak position in Andhra Pradesh, she chose to join it “because Congress alone is committed to the cause of granting SCS.”
In response to a query on the Defence Minister’s allegation that land, sand and liquor mafias were ruling the roost under the YSRCP rule, Ms. Sharmila wondered why then the Centre was silent on gross violation of rules by the government.
