Cong divided Andhra Pradesh for electoral gains, failed to provide special status: YSRCP MP

New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) The Congress was the "main villain" of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and the state's people will never forgive the party, YSRCP MP V Vijayasai Reddy alleged on Monday in the Rajya Sabha.

Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, he said the nation progressed only when the Congress was not in power.

"In India's 77 years of independence, the Congress was in power for more than 50 years. India has grown in the remaining 27 years," he said.

Reddy said India would become "Congress-mukt (free of the Congress)" in 2029, and the "status of the grand old party would change to grand extinct party".

He alleged that people are suffering from the "unscientific" division of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and that it was done by the Congress in a hurry for electoral gains.

Through the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, the state was split into Telangana and the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.

"The Congress was the main villain in the entire episode of the special category status (issue) and also bifurcation (of Andhra Pradesh). They undertook the division of the state and its people merely to serve their own political motives," he said.

"When they failed to grant special status to the residual state of Andhra Pradesh, where was the necessity of the Congress to blame other political parties," Reddy said.

The YSRCP, Reddy said, has always been on the forefront for demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi more than eight times pm and Home Minister Amit Shah more than 12 times to demand special status for the state, the MP said.

The people of Andhra Pradesh have already punished the Congress, he said and added that in the 2019 elections, the votes it polled were lesser than the NOTA numbers.

Reddy said the "violent and unscientific bifurcation" of the state ruined its socio-economic fabric. This can never be forgiven and forgotten, he said.

When the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was introduced, many MPs, including from the Congress, had raised concerns on three major issues - sharing of water and electricity, revenue distribution and capital, Reddy said.

The concerns were never addressed and the bill was passed amid din by closing the doors of the Lok Sabha and turning off live telecast, he said.

After the bill reached the Rajya Sabha, members had demanded special category status for the residual state of Andhra Pradesh for 10 years to boost development, Reddy said.

The then prime minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha had "unequivocally promised" special status, he said.

"The Congress could have amended the bill, sent it back to the Lok Sabha and got it amended, giving constitutional and legal sanctity to it," he said, adding that because of their failure Andhra Pradesh is suffering now.

Alleging that the Congress was insensitive to the needs of the state, Reddy said Congress could have easily enforced special category status by incorporating it into the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill. "When they failed to do so, they cannot blame others," he added.

After this, the Union Cabinet in March 2014 had passed a resolution and sent this to the then Planning Commission for consideration, the MP said.

"What was the necessity? In the past, when other states were bifurcated and granted special status, the Congress never sent proposals to the Planning Commission. This was the first time," he said, adding, "It means, the Congress had no real intention to grant special category status" and it was just a tactics to delay.

BJD's Prashanta Nanda said the railway projects of Odisha should be expedited. He also demanded houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas yojana in western and southern parts of Odisha.

Sandeep Kumar Pathak of the AAP raised concerns over "growing" unemployment and "rising" inflation. Savings of the common people have gone down, he said. PTI KRH KRH ANB ANB