Vijayawada: Congress to make SCS declaration on March 1

Vijayawada : Congress will release Special Category Status Declaration and hold a public meeting on March 1 in Tirupati, said APCC chief Y S Sharmila. The declaration will be released in Tirupati because Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier had assured the people of Andhra Pradesh of SCS in Tirupati for 10 years, she explained.

Addressing media at the state party office here on Wednesday, Sharmila said both TDP and YSRCP failed to fight for the SCS in the last 10 years and lamented that Andhra Pradesh suffered a huge loss due to not getting the SCS and non-implementation of promises made in AP Reorganisation Act.

She recalled that Narendra Modi had assured to transform Andhra Pradesh into hardware hub, setting up of petroleum research institute, allocate special grants for construction of capital Amaravati. “PM Modi and BJP government have betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh on SCS and sanctioning funds for development of state,” she said.

She said 10,000 new industries were set up in Himachal Pradesh and 2,000 new industries were set up in Uttarakhand and added that the AP could have developed a lot if SCS is accorded.

The PCC chief explained that the Union government spends 30 per cent of its budget on SCS states and sanction grants that need not to be repaid by the states. “YSRCP came to power assuring to fight for SCS but later ignored it. Congress got only 1.18 per cent vote share in 2019 Assembly elections and in spite of that I joined the party with the intention of fighting for the SCS and develop the state,” she said.

She said the AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge promised Indiramma Abhaya Hastam scheme in Anantapur assuring Rs 5,000 every women per month after Congress came to power.

She said Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy is in the hearts of the people of Andhra Pradesh because he gave equal importance to welfare and department and treated them as two eyes.