Special Category Status possible for Andhra Pradesh only if Congress is in power at Centre, says Thulasi Reddy

Former MP N. Thulasi Reddy has reiterated that that Andhra Pradesh could benefit only if the Congress party was at the helm of power at the Centre.

Former MP and Chairman of the Media and Social Media Committee of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) N. Thulasi Reddy has found fault with the manner in which TDP’s national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was arrested by the CBI.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a protest by Agrigold victims, Mr. Thulasi Reddy said the court of law would decide whether any corruption had happened, “but the manner in which Mr. Naidu was arrested is not right. He has been here for last two years. This is certainly not the way to arrest a former Chief Minister. It is totally undemocratic,” he said.

Referring to Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan’s announcement on the decision to align with the TDP in the elections, the senior Congress leader said there was nothing new in what he had said. “He has been saying that he will not allow the anti-Government votes to split, yesterday he only repeated it.”

Mr. Thulasi Reddy reiterated that that Andhra Pradesh could benefit only if the Congress party was at the helm of power at the Centre. “We need Special Category Status, the Bundelkhand-like package and completion of the Polavaram project for all-round development of the State. All this is possible only under Congress rule at the Centre,” he emphasised, adding: “These promises can be fulfilled either by the BJP or the Congress. The BJP is clearly not interested in keeping its promises and the Congress party is committed to the cause of development of Andhra Pradesh.”

Commenting on the State scenario, he said all three regional parties — the YSR Congress Party, the TDP and the Jana Sena were “puppets in the hands of the BJP”.

Drawing attention to the plight of the AgriGold depositors who had lost their hard-earned money, he accused the Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of going back on his promise to compensate them. “Only a handful of the victims have got back their money in the last four and half years. The government is yet to ensure repayment of deposits worth around Rs. 3,000 crores to 10 lakh beneficiaries,”, he said, adding that the government should do the needful to address their woes since they were fighting for a just cause.