Venkaiah changes tune again on special status, says Centre will consider favourably

New Delhi, May 215 ,2015: Changing his tune yet again on special status to Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu on Monday denied having said that AP is not eligible to receive special status. Venkaiah Naidu was reacting to reports which quoted him as having said that AP is not eligible for special status. "I only said that AP would not come under the guidelines enshrined by the Gadgil committee to award special status to states and that it would have been better if special status clause had been included in the AP Reorganisation Act, " he clarified. "We are asking the Centre to take a decision on the issue of granting special status to AP and I am hopeful that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will respond favourably," he said , reiterating that even without a provision in the law, the NDA Government will sympathetically consider the issue.