AP not eligible to receive special status: Venkaiah

Hyderabad, May 25 , 2015: Asserting that Congress only was responsible for the AP not getting special status, Union Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu reiterated that Andhra Pradesh is not eligible for getting special status. In an interview to a vernacular daily, he said that if the provision of special status had been incorporated in the AP Reorganisation Act, there would not have been any difficulty in AP getting special status. Apart from Congress, the National Development Council and the Planning Commission did not agree to our request to incorporate the provision of special status to AP at the time of bifurcation, he said , adding that AP has no eligibility to receive special status. "AP has deficit budget but special status can not be granted based on that only condition ," Venkaiah Naidu stated. He said he is not the Union Minister for Andhra Pradesh alone and has to look after the interests of the entire nation. To a question, he said friendship with TDP will continue in the future. "Despite having friendly relation with TDP, BJP wants to grow independently in southern states, " Venkaiah has reiterated.