Amit Shah’s letter full of  lies, half-truths: CM Chandrababu Naidu

VIJAYAWADA:  Taking serious exception to the nine-page letter written to him by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah on Saturday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said it was full of lies and half-truths apart from deviating from facts.Refuting the claim of Amit Shah that the TDP had pulled out of NDA only for political reasons, Naidu said that it was the saffron party, which had unilaterally severed ties with TDP in Telangana. “We haven’t taken the decision to quit NDA for the sake of politics. We did it keeping State’s development and people’s aspirations in mind,” he said.

Reading out the letter in the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister wondered how a person occupying a high position could write such a letter full of lies.  He sought to know if it was right on the part of the Central government to make such irresponsible remarks.“Do you have the courage to review the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act and 18 assurances made in the Rajya Sabha, including the Special Category Status, and answer our questions in the Parliament?” the Chief Minister asked.

Naidu said he was only asking the Centre to give the State what was being provided to other states with special status, as the State was also entitled to the Special Category Status.“We asked you only to review the implementation of promises made to the State, but you have subverted what we have asked for? ” he said.He sought to know what happened to the promised Special Package in lieu of the Special Category Status.  He said the people of the State were now feeling that BJP had done more injustice to the State than the Congress.

He said the CAG report had clearly stated that revenue deficit was `16,000 crore.  “Now, they say we are diverting funds to spend them on other projects,” he said while reading out the figures.On industrial incentives, he said though the Central government had mentioned that no incentives would be provided to any State after GST came into force, it had extended industrial incentives in the form of reimbursement of GST, excise duty and other tax benefits to the special category states. On special development funds for backward districts in the State, he said Rs 1,050 crore was released to seven districts from 2014-15 to 2016-17 and the State government had submitted Utilisation Certificates  (UCs) to a tune of Rs 946.47 crore.  “But, the Centre, after releasing the fourth installment of Rs 350 crore, went back on its promise, claiming that the State government had not submitted the UCs for the funds released in the last three years,”

He said such a development had never taken place in history and asked if it was not the reflection of the style of functioning of the Prime Minister’s Office. With regard to Polavaram project, he said there was no mention of land acquisition or relief and rehabilitation. Pointing out at the Shah’s claim of setting up crude oil refinery and petrochemical complex at Kakinada, he questioned its very purpose. “Is it not for taking the gas and fuel away from the State. How can it be an investment for development?” he reasoned.
Chief Minister’s son and IT Minister Nara Lokesh sought to know whether Utilisation Certificates required were for Special Category Status and 18 other assurances made in the AP State Reorganisation Act.

Taking a dig at the BJP leaders’ remark that the State government was not using the images of Prime Minister Modi during publicity campaigns relating to the Centrally-sponsored schemes, Naidu sought to know whether Modi, who served as the CM of Gujarat, had publicised the photos of the then PM Manmohan Singh.During the teleconference held in the morning, Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu informed the Chief Minister about the proposed meeting of finance ministers of Southern States to be held on April 10.Ramakrishnudu explained that he had received a phone call from his Kerala counterpart Isaac to discuss the Finance Commission’s proposal to use 2011 census as the basis for allocating Union tax revenues to states.