Venkaiah Naidu defends special package to State

As the BJP started a counter attack on the Opposition parties trying to convince disenchanted people that special package is better to the State to overcome the difficulties post-bifurcation than the Special Category Status it had jettisoned, party’s senior leader and Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said here on Wednesday the benefit from the special package was immense compared to the benefits from the SCS.

About 300 party leaders and workers greeted him at the airport and accompanied him to the office of local MP K. Haribabu in pouring rain, as a show of support to the Union Minister who was at the receiving end for not being able to secure SCS in spite of fighting for it in the Rajya Sabha when the State Reorganisation bill came up for discussion when the BJP was in Opposition.

The SCS would not automatically attract industries and none of the investors who attended the CCI investors summit and shown interest to invest Rs. 4.20 lakh crore had sought benefits under it, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said addressing the party workers.

However, he did not make any statement on forming a separate railway zone for AP with its headquarters in Visakhapatnam, expect saying that a decision would be taken soon.

“There are three advantages with special package. Loan from foreign agencies will be made available for spending by the State Government under special package and will be repaid by the Centre; revenue deficit AP is facing due to losing Hyderabad totalling Rs. 22,000 crore will be reimbursed by Central government and the Polavaram project would be totally reimbursed by the Centre,” Mr. Naidu explained.

He spoke at length the many industries going to be set up with huge investment, the educational institutions that had been established with more getting ready, and other benefits the Modi government was showering on the State.

He hit back at the Congress saying it could not make any progress on Polavaram over 35 years after laying foundation but demanding it why it was not being completed though the NDA government had come to power only two and half years ago.

“The State and the Central governments would work together and people should teach a lesson to those placing hurdles in the path of development of the State and they should also be cautious about trouble-makers,” he said.

Minister Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu, MLC and former MP M.V.V.S. Murthi, and MLA and city president V. Ganesh Kumar; Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas, Dr. Haribabu, BJP Legislature Party leader in Assembly P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, city president M. Nagendra, senior leader of the party and former MLC P.V. Chalapathi Rao and others were present.

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