NITI Aayog rekindles hopes foacr special status

Amaravati: The issue of special status which was so far considered to be a closed issue is once again likely to take centre-stage in Andhra politics following the statement of NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar that they would make a close and in-depth study of the demand for special status to Bihar.

Rajiv Kumar had rekindled the issue while releasing the first-ever Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report which ranked Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh among the poorest states of India. As per the index, 51.91% population of Bihar is poor, followed by 42.16% in Jharkhand and 37.79% in Uttar Pradesh. He said though Bihar has made tremendous progress, because of its poor performance in the past it would take more time to achieve optimum growth. In this context, he said the Aayog would make an in-depth study and examine the issue of special status. This is now likely to give a new impetus to the opposition parties which would mount pressure on the ruling party to fight for the special status since Andhra Pradesh has a strength of 25 members in Parliament.

In view of this, the Andhra Pradesh government feels that it should raise its voice on the issue in the ongoing Parliament session. When asked, sources said that during the Southern Zone council meeting held at Tirupati in November, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had demanded that the Centre fulfil its promise made while bifurcating the state.

Party sources claim that a reference to this issue was made during the recent meeting between the NITI Aayog vice-chairman and the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The NITI Aayog vice-chairman, they claim, promised to help in development of infrastructure in coastal economic zones and export sectors. They said the Chief Minister had asked the MPs to raise the issue of special status in Parliament during the ongoing session. They said there was a possibility of a discussion on the issue in Rajya Sabha since RJD MP Manoj Jha had given suspension of business notice on Thursday. The YSRCP would reiterate its demand if the Chairman permits a discussion, they said.