AICC general secretary in-charge of A.P. Oommen Chandy has asserted his party’s commitment to granting the Special Category Status (SCS) to the State immediately on being elected to power in the elections.
The BJP did not keep its promise of granting SCS that had been assured on the Floor of the House by the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and supported by the saffron party.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not grant SCS. If voted to become Prime Minister, Congress president Rahul Gandhi would grant it,” Mr. Chandy said, launching the ‘Intintiki Congress’ campaign in Visakhapatnam South Assembly constituency on Wednesday.
Mr. Chandy, who returned from a visit to the cyclone-hit Srikakulam district, said much against the federal spirit, the Union Government and Mr. Modi did not send a team to assess the loss and announce relief till date.
APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy said both the BJP and TDP were indulging in blame game without providing relief to the large number of people affected by the cyclone. Even after two weeks, people were in a hapless situation, he added.
The BJP and the TDP that had contested together in the 2014 elections failed to fulfil the promises made to the people such as SCS, railway zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters, package to the backward areas, and jobs to youth.
The BJP rule had resulted in hardship to the people with abnormal increase in the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG. If voted to power, the Congress would reduce the fuel prices by bringing them under GST and give four gas cylinders a year free and waive ₹2 lakh DWCRA loans, Mr. Reddy said.
Slams YSR Congress
He accused the opposition YSRCP of letting down people with its MLAs not going to the Assembly and MPs resigning. The Opposition leader even failed to visit the cyclone-hit Srikakulam district. Former government whip and APCC general secretary Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao said the poor who had benefited greatly during the Congress rule between 2004 and 2014 with ‘Arogyasri,’ scholarship etc., suffered during the last four-and-a-half years. He accused YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of being hand in glove with the BJP.
The Congress leaders later covered Poorna Market, Durgalamma temple and other areas in One Town as part of their campaign.
Compensation
Staff Reporter in Srikakulam writes: Mr. Chandy and Mr. Raghuveera Reddy asked the Union and State governments to make concerted efforts to instil confidence among the people. Addressing the media here, they said that ₹20 lakh be given as compensation to the next of kin of the seven deceased persons. They also sought higher compensation to the owners who had suffered damage to their properties and the farmers who had lost crops such as coconut, cashew, and banana.
Earlier, a high-level delegation of the Congress toured places such as Tekkali, Palasa, Kaviti, and Vajrapukotturu in the district.
Mr. Chandy objected to the Union government’s “step-motherly” attitude in extending support to the State government.