While promising to grant special status to Andhra Pradesh if his party comes to power at the Centre in 2019, Congress president Rahul Gandhi predictably attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for failing to keep their promises but chose to keep quiet about the ruling TDP with which it is looking to tie up for the upcoming elections.
While the Congress and TDP have come together in Telangana the two parties are likely to form an alliance in Andhra Pradesh as well though TDP has been essentially anti-Congress since its birth. Addressing a rally in Kurnool in Rayalaseema region, Gandhi accused the Prime Minister of failing to keep the promises made to the people of AP at the time of bifurcation.
“I am not in the habit of making false promises. The moment Congress party comes to power in Delhi in 2019 it is our commitment to the people of AP that we will give special status,” he said while criticising Narendra Modi for disrespecting the people of the state.
He said apart from denying special status to the state for ten years the BJP has not fulfilled other provisions of the bifurcation Act including the iron and steel plant in Kadapa, separate railway zone in Visakhapatnam or taking up Polavaram as a national project.
He also said that because the Prime Minister failed to keep his promises he is unable to look into the eyes of the people of AP.
“The Prime Minister looks at the left, right, up and down but he cannot look into the eyes of the people of Andhra Pradesh,” thundered Gandhi. Alleging that the Prime Minister has waived loans of 15 richest people of the country he promised that the first thing his party would do if voted to power would be to waive the loans taken by the farmers.
Accusing Modi of being corrupt, Gandhi said he should have asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to resign after the controversy over the latter’s meeting with Vijay Mallya.
He added that demonetisation and GST were meant to take away people’s money but Congress always gives back to the people. He paid rich tributes to AP’s Dalit chief minister, Damodaram Sanjivayya and Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy.