The union minister asked the Congress why Special Status for AP was not included in the bill passed by it in 2014.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs M Venkaiah Naidu said that the central government was committed to implementing all the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
He spoke at length on various issues relating to the formation of the state of Telangana, giving Special Category status to Andhra Pradesh, and the implementation of the Act, during his intervention in the debate on the AP Reorganisation Act (Amendment) Bill, 2015, in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Bill seeks to enhance the strength of the A P Legislative Council from the 50 that was erroneously mentioned in the Act of 2014, to 58 as per the Constitutional provision.
Naidu said that having promised Telangana as early as in 2004, the Congress waited till 2014 and drafted the A P Reorganisation Act, 2014, in a hurry, resulting in several errors including incorrect mention of the strength of the A P Legislative Council, allotting Rajya Sabha members hailing from one state to the other and not properly addressing the issue of the submergence under the Polavaram project.
He informed the House that the NDA Government had inherited such a legislation, and was sincerely making efforts to implement all the provisions of the Act.
Responding to AICC President Sonia Gandhi's observations on giving Special Category status to Andhra Pradesh, Naidu thanked the Congress for thinking of the interests of that state after about a decade.
He asked Congress as to why that was not included in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, which would have made it easy for the government to act on it.
Naidu referred to what senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily had said on the issue of Special Category status to Andhra Pradesh while speaking on the general budget yesterday. Naidu quoted Moily's observations as: "There will be a flight of capital from neighbouring states like Karnataka, Kerala and Bihar. There should be a method followed while giving such incentives to one state. All of them will go and invest there, and nothing wrong in it. But the question is how you can create this kind of inequality and inequity between one state and the other. It is a major issue. After all, you are an arbitrator sitting in the Government of India. You will have to look after the interest of every state."
Naidu noted that what Moily raised reflected the issues involved in taking a decision in the matter, and hence the process was taking time.
Venkaiah Naidu, while referring to media reports after the Act was passed in the Rajya Sabha, acknowledged that he spoke for the interests of the people of Andhra Pradesh as they needed justice done to them after the bifurcation. He refuted the criticism that he had gone back on his demands.
Naidu said the central government was very keen on taking the Act forward, and reminded the members of the House that the Polavaram ordinance was the second decision taken by the Modi government in its first Cabinet meeting after assuming office, to take the irrigation project forward.
He assured the house that the issue of the rehabilitation of the tribals would be addressed in all seriousness by the central and state governments.
He said that contrary to the assurances given to him by some union ministers, the then UPA government had not done the needful to address the issue of the submergence of seven mandals, and to enable the implementation of the Polavaram project.
Referring to various institutions to be set up in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as per the A P Reorganisation Act, 2014, Naidu informed the House that the foundation stone was laid for an IIM at Vizag, and that efforts were on by respective ministries in respect of other institutions. He said that the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Anant Kumar was actively working on reviving the Ramagundam fertilizer factory.
Naidu asserted that there was no question of going back on anything said during the debate in the Rajya Sabha, and that all the issues would be addressed to the satisfaction of the people.
Naidu said that all parties including the Congress, BJP, TDP and CPI supported the demand for the creation of a separate Telangana, and all should now cooperate for the development of both the states. (INN)