Sivaji ridicules BJP claims on helping State.

​Vijayawada: Former MP Dr Yalamanchili Sivaji, on Monday ridiculed the claims of the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders on helping the State by starting nine Central institutions.

Dr Sivaji said granting of Central institutions was Centre’s responsibility. He said as the State was not having even a single Central institution, the Centre was forced to grant and start nine out of 11 institutions in a span of two years.

He said that President Pranab Mukharjee during his address to Parliament on June 9, 2014, had announced the government policy of establishing more IITs and IIMs in the country.

Accordingly, the Centre had increased the IITs strength to 17, added 13 IIMs and established 44 Central Universities. While some States have four Central Universities, some States have more than two, he said and wanted to know how the BJP leaders making tall claims on the Central institutions.

Dr Sivaji further said that the Centre had also increased the number of AIIMS across the country and giving one AIIM for Mangalagiri was nothing special.

Referring to the money given for national highways, the former MP said that the money was part of the Central government’s policy to develop national surface transport linkage.

“The Centre cannot link the north with south without touching Andhra Pradesh and it is for this reason, they have given some money,” he said.

He said that the Central government had not given anything extra or special to Andhra Pradesh in the last two years as they were claiming.

He also found fault with the State government for remaining silent on the issue and wondered why the State was not countering the BJP claims.