All these years, the Narendra Modi government has been refusing to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh on the pretext that the 14th finance commission had not recommended the same since it did not distinguish between normal states and those with special category status.
But on Wednesday, YSR Congress party president and chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has called the Centre bluff on the special category status.
He pointed out that the finance commission itself had clearly and categorically stated that granting special category status did not come in its purview.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi late on Tuesday, he recalled that all these years, the Central government had been arguing that special category status concept ceased to exist in accordance with the recommendations of the fourteenth Finance Commission.
He said a press release by the Ministry of Finance on on 8th September, 2016 said with regard to the grant of special status, an apparent conflict had set in, between the statement and the recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission which came subsequently.
“The ministry of finance contended that the finance commission had not taken into account any distinction between special and general category states in determining their norms and recommendations and therefore this has the effect of making the concept of special category status invalid,” he said.
However, when the state made a special request with the 15th finance commission for granting special category status, the commission chairman and members categorically said it was beyond their purview to consider the demand.
“Mr N K Singh, chairman of the 15h finance commission Fifteenth Finance Commission, said granting special category status does not figure in the terms of reference. He further said the philosophy of Special Category Status never emanated from any Finance Commission but from the resolution of erstwhile National Development Council,” he said.
Jagan also pointed out that the commission in its report for 2020-21 tabled in the Parliament also said the special category status demand remains entirely in the domain of the Union Government, which can take an appropriate decision after due consideration.
“Since the finance commission clearly said the issue of special category status is within the purview of the central government, I request you to consider the same and grant it to Andhra Pradesh,” Jagan appealed to Modi.
