Reiterating that special status is the only way for development and employment generation, Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said that the fight for special status will continue and the youth should come forward to question the political leaders who go back on their poll promises.
Addressing a large gathering of youth at the Yuva Bheri programme in Kurnool on Thursday, he said: “There are efforts to water down the demand for special status by vested interests but our fight should continue relentlessly.
"Democracy has been shattered with Parliament witnessing double speak as the BJP-TDP combine that had sought 10 year special status while in opposition and had also included it in the election manifesto and after coming to power started searching ways to evade the issue.”
He said chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu who was facing many corruption charges including the cash for vote scam watered it down by telling that Special status is not a cure-all medicine to all problems and on many occasions spoke against it and did not broach the subject when the occasion arose.
"Emboldened by his behaviour, the Centre has told in the parliament categorically that it is not possible to accord special status to Andhra Pradesh and brought in 14th Finance Commission into the picture.
"It was categorically stated by a member of the Commission that there was no recommendation to scrap status to states and in a written reply our member YV Subba Reddy the Centre said that there was no idea to withdraw the status to northeast states,” he pointed out.
He said only states with special status would get central funds in the form of grants and there would be numerous benefits including the exemption on taxes and others besides generating employment to lakhs of youth.
“The youth should come forward to fight it out as it is for their future that we are fighting, he said adding that Chandrababu Naidu could promise moon if left unquestioned. The fight will continue till the goal is achieved,” he said.
