TIRUPATI: State BJP president Kanna Lakshminarayana said that the issue of granting Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh was a closed chapter and it was not possible for the Central government to accord it as promised at the time of bifurcation of the State. Addressing the media here on Friday, he said that the promise of the political leaders, be it TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu or YSRC supremo and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to secure SCS by putting pressure on the Centre was nothing but a tactic to ‘befool’ the people. He appealed to the leaders of political parties to stop betraying people by giving a false assurance on the SCS.  

The BJP State president said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave more benefits to AP through different packages than what SCS could bring to the State. The sanction of Rs 5,000 crore for the National Highways project in Chittoor district was an example of liberal aid extended by the Centre to the State. The Centre would provide more assistance for the development of the State during the regime of NDA 2.0, he said.

“Before straining relations between TDP and BJP, we had alerted former Chief Minister Naidu that he was falling into the trap of YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on the SCS issue. However, he turned a deaf ear, snapped ties and faced a major defeat in the elections,” he said.He appealed to the people to attend the Prime Minister’s public meeting at Renigunta on Sunday in large numbers. Gooty Municipal Chairperson Tulasamma along with her followers joined the BJP in the presence of Kanna, quitting TDP.