Chandrababu uncertain about heading panel on problems caused by demonetization

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu tonight remained non-committal on whether or not he would head the five-member committee of CMs proposed by the Centre to look into post-demonetisation related issues.

"I told (Union Finance Minister) Arun Jaitley there are constraints. But there is no communication (from the Centre) thereafter," he said in reply to a question at a press conference in Vijayawada.

Chandrababu, however, did not elaborate on what the constraints were and also what exactly transpired between him and Jaitley.

Jaitley called Chandrababu over phone yesterday morning and informed him about the Centre's decision to constitute a five-member committee of chief ministers to address issues arising out of the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes announced on November 8.

The Chief Minister's Office immediately announced that Jaitley asked Chandrababu to head the committee.

It, however, did not give any other details on Monday even as there was speculation that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister "declined" to take up the job.

Asked about this, Chandrababu remained non-committal and merely said there has been no further communication (from the Centre) on the issue.

He, sources said, was "unhappy" that the Centre never consulted him on the demonetisation issue though Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally invited Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to New Delhi to address the "concerns" raised by the latter.

In fact, it was Rao who suggested that a Chief Ministers' committee be constituted to look into the problems being faced by people in the aftermath of scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.