Venkaiah fumes at students' protest at his house, rules out special status to AP

New Delhi, May 8, 2015: Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu made it clear that AP would not get special status as per the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission. “If you protest and indulge in Dharnas, you will get some publicity and nothing else,” Venkaiah told a group of Andhra Pradesh students who protested outside his residence in New Delhi this morning. The AP Students’ JAC members participated in the protest demonstration. The Union Minister told them: “You have got every right to protest and no one would object. You continue with your trials and I will continue my efforts for special status.”

Calls the promise on special status political

Venkaiah later told reporters that if the promise on special status had been given statutory protection by the then UPA Government, we would have got the special status already. “Congress made a political assurance on the special status. Still, we should try to implement it. Discussions are going on between the Home Ministry and Finance Ministry on how to implement the promise," he said, adding it is very difficult to give special status to AP in the backdrop of 14th Finance Commission's recommendations.