TDP members missing from Rajya Sabha when Special Status for State rocked House
Hyderabad, April.11: Telugu Desam members were conspicuous by their absence from Rajya Sabha when the crucial issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh was being heatedly debated in the House on Tuesday.
Thus the sudden and unexplained disappearance of the TDP members from the Upper House of parliament not only raised many eyebrows in the political corridors but it also nailed the claims being made by AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that he was relentlessly continuing his efforts to secure the Special Status to the State as promised during the passage of the Bill in parliament for bifurcation of then united Andhra Pradesh.
Congress member KVP Ramchander Rao raised the issue through a calling attention motion and insisted that the Special Status should be bestowed on AP as promised during the passage of the AP Reorganization Bill 2014. He refuted the claim of the present BJP-led NDA Government at the centre that the 14th Finance Commission has objected to granting of special status to AP.
Many other senior Congress members, including Digvijay Singh, Gulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh, T. Subbirami Reddy and also senior members of other Opposition parties like C. Raja of CPI, Naresh Agarwal of SP, Vijaysai Reddy of YSRCP, K. Kesava Rao of TRS and others also supported the demand and need for according Special Status to AP, which had lost lot of revenue sources after bifurcation. They also pointed out that the newly formed state needed lot of financial support for even building its own capital. The argument that the start was being given special assistance by the Centre does not hold water, these leaders pointed out and wondered what was preventing the Modi Government from fulfilling the promise made in the House by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Digvijay Singh pointed out that when then Prime Minister wanted that the Special Status should be given AP for a period of five years, now BJP Minister Venkaiah Naidu had insisted that that it should be for ten years and not for five years. What is more even then Opposition leader in the united AP Chandrababu Naidu also supported the contention of Venkaiah Naidu, he pointed out that was expressed surprise these same leaders were conspicuously silent on the issue.
Amidst frequent interruptions and protests from the Congress members, the Union Minister for State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh categorically stated that since the Centre has announced substantial special financial assistance to AP, the question of according a specual status to the status does not arise. He pointed out that in the past 11 sates were accorded special status. Uttarakhand was the last state to be bestowed with such a status and after that no other state was granted the same, he pointed out.
The minister further had a dig at the Congress members by wondering why the members had not ensured that the promise of special status promised to the stat was not made into an Act. This triggered off loud protests from the Congress members who staged a walk out from the House at the minister's reply. Even the YSRCP member staged a walk out protesting at the refusal of the minister to accord special status to AP.
However what has become a talking point in the parliament corridors and also in political circles is the unexplained absence of the TDP members when such a crucial issue pertaining to the state was being debated in Rajya Sabha. It might be mentioned here the Congress leaders, YSRCP President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Film Start and Jana Sena Founder Presient Pawan Kalyan and others have been raising their voice demanding for special status to AP. As a matter of fact agitations have also been launched by the youth and students in this regard. When the BJP-led Government at the Centre through Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced specual financial assistance, Chandrababu Naidu meekly accepted the same given a go by to the demand of the people for special status.
Even during the just concluded budget session of the AP Assembly, the YRCP members led by the Leader of the Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy created a storm in the House on the issue of special status to the state. Surprisingly Chandrababu Naidu and his coterie of ministers took umbrage against YARCP members for creating a ruckus on the issue when the Centre had already announce special financial packages for the state. What is surprising is that Chandrababu Naidu even asserted that the TDP would continue bring pressure on the Centre to accord special status to the state.
Thus the absence of the TDP members in Rajya Sabha when the special status issue was being discussed suddenly became incognito and incommunicado. This only exposed the sincerity and true colours of the Chief Minister in this regard. Political circles here feel that since TDP and BJP are allies both at the Centre and state by sharing power, Chandrababu Naidu would not like to antagonize the central leadership. This is mainly because of his future plans for the 2019 elections when he has set his eyes on the Chief Minister's chair. This despite the fact that the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to build its base and strengthen its cadre in both the telugu states also with an eye on the 2019 elections
However, with the TDP members’ absence in Rajya Sabha, Chandrababu Naidu's true colours have come to the fore and he seemed to have forfeited the confidence and trust of the people.
Thus the sudden and unexplained disappearance of the TDP members from the Upper House of parliament not only raised many eyebrows in the political corridors but it also nailed the claims being made by AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that he was relentlessly continuing his efforts to secure the Special Status to the State as promised during the passage of the Bill in parliament for bifurcation of then united Andhra Pradesh.
Congress member KVP Ramchander Rao raised the issue through a calling attention motion and insisted that the Special Status should be bestowed on AP as promised during the passage of the AP Reorganization Bill 2014. He refuted the claim of the present BJP-led NDA Government at the centre that the 14th Finance Commission has objected to granting of special status to AP.
Many other senior Congress members, including Digvijay Singh, Gulam Nabi Azad, Jairam Ramesh, T. Subbirami Reddy and also senior members of other Opposition parties like C. Raja of CPI, Naresh Agarwal of SP, Vijaysai Reddy of YSRCP, K. Kesava Rao of TRS and others also supported the demand and need for according Special Status to AP, which had lost lot of revenue sources after bifurcation. They also pointed out that the newly formed state needed lot of financial support for even building its own capital. The argument that the start was being given special assistance by the Centre does not hold water, these leaders pointed out and wondered what was preventing the Modi Government from fulfilling the promise made in the House by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Digvijay Singh pointed out that when then Prime Minister wanted that the Special Status should be given AP for a period of five years, now BJP Minister Venkaiah Naidu had insisted that that it should be for ten years and not for five years. What is more even then Opposition leader in the united AP Chandrababu Naidu also supported the contention of Venkaiah Naidu, he pointed out that was expressed surprise these same leaders were conspicuously silent on the issue.
Amidst frequent interruptions and protests from the Congress members, the Union Minister for State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh categorically stated that since the Centre has announced substantial special financial assistance to AP, the question of according a specual status to the status does not arise. He pointed out that in the past 11 sates were accorded special status. Uttarakhand was the last state to be bestowed with such a status and after that no other state was granted the same, he pointed out.
The minister further had a dig at the Congress members by wondering why the members had not ensured that the promise of special status promised to the stat was not made into an Act. This triggered off loud protests from the Congress members who staged a walk out from the House at the minister's reply. Even the YSRCP member staged a walk out protesting at the refusal of the minister to accord special status to AP.
However what has become a talking point in the parliament corridors and also in political circles is the unexplained absence of the TDP members when such a crucial issue pertaining to the state was being debated in Rajya Sabha. It might be mentioned here the Congress leaders, YSRCP President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Film Start and Jana Sena Founder Presient Pawan Kalyan and others have been raising their voice demanding for special status to AP. As a matter of fact agitations have also been launched by the youth and students in this regard. When the BJP-led Government at the Centre through Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced specual financial assistance, Chandrababu Naidu meekly accepted the same given a go by to the demand of the people for special status.
Even during the just concluded budget session of the AP Assembly, the YRCP members led by the Leader of the Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy created a storm in the House on the issue of special status to the state. Surprisingly Chandrababu Naidu and his coterie of ministers took umbrage against YARCP members for creating a ruckus on the issue when the Centre had already announce special financial packages for the state. What is surprising is that Chandrababu Naidu even asserted that the TDP would continue bring pressure on the Centre to accord special status to the state.
Thus the absence of the TDP members in Rajya Sabha when the special status issue was being discussed suddenly became incognito and incommunicado. This only exposed the sincerity and true colours of the Chief Minister in this regard. Political circles here feel that since TDP and BJP are allies both at the Centre and state by sharing power, Chandrababu Naidu would not like to antagonize the central leadership. This is mainly because of his future plans for the 2019 elections when he has set his eyes on the Chief Minister's chair. This despite the fact that the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to build its base and strengthen its cadre in both the telugu states also with an eye on the 2019 elections
However, with the TDP members’ absence in Rajya Sabha, Chandrababu Naidu's true colours have come to the fore and he seemed to have forfeited the confidence and trust of the people.