Centre will Keep All Promises Made in AP Reorganisation Act : Nirmala

HYDERABAD: After Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao, it is now the turn of Union minister of state for industry and commerce Nirmala Sitharaman to continue the saffron party’s counterattack on TDP.

At a time when the TDP is trying to corner the Centre for not fulfilling the promises made to Andhra Pradesh in the AP Reorganisation Act-2014, Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday tried to dismiss the argument that the Union government was not coming to the rescue of the cash-starved AP.

Speaking to reporters here, Sitharaman reiterated that all promises made in the Reorganisation Act would be implemented after going into details of the provisions made in it. She claimed that the Centre was studying the promises made in the Act and how it could be implemented in a better way. Hence, it would take some time to implement all promises made in the Act. “We have to see in what way special status and other benefits could be given to AP.”

Stating that she was making efforts to push the case of AP with the Centre, Sitharaman said she was regularly pursuing the case of AP with the PMO and other ministries, and trying her best to speed up the process of implementation of the facilities and packages promised to AP during bifurcation.

“Since I am an MP from AP, it is my duty to pursue the case of my state with the Centre. I am in touch with chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and briefing him about the developments taking place at the Centre,” she said.

Sitharaman stated that she along with Union minister of state for science and technology YS Chowdary were regularly meeting the ministers concerned and following up the initiative. “Last Wednesday, we both convened meetings with the AP state officials on the issue. It’s not so easy. Details have to be worked out. There are a lot of procedures to be followed. The Centre cannot give everything like that,” she explained and hastened to add that the Union government was keen on according the special category status to AP and was taking necessary steps in this regard.

Reacting to Chandrababu Naidu’s outburst on the allocations made to the state in the Union budget, she said that the Centre was willing to sit and talk on the issue with AP.

Downplaying the outburst of Naidu simultaneously, she said, “The outburst is but natural when you feel that you have not got what you were expecting.”

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