Naresh Agarwal tells CM Ramesh, Put pressure on BJP

Participating in the KVP Bill discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday night, Uttar Pradesh MP Naresh Agarwal said all the assurances given to Andhra Pradesh by the previous Manmohan Singh government should be implemented. However, he pointed out that the per capita income in the northern states was dismal. Therefore the states in the North also deserved Special Category Status. Bihar and UP were also backward. When Jairam Ramesh (Cong) tried to intervene, Naresh Agarwal directly told him, `You are not the Speaker. Don't obstruct me. If you can obstruct, I can obstruct better.' Just then Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu entered the House. The SP MP said, `Why don't you put it (SCS for AP issue) before NITI Ayog?' He pointed out that the PM name doesn't spell development. Pradhan Mantri this programme, Pradhan Mantri that programme … alone did not mean development. In fact, many of the Prime Ministers of the country have been from UP, including Narendra Modi. But in terms of development, UP was the worst hit. Noting that he was a devotee of Tirupati Balaji, he said he did Tirumala pilgrimage every year. Turning to CM Ramesh (TDP), Agarwal said in a lighter vein, `Why don't you put pressure on your alliance partner the BJP?' The former sheepishly nodded.