Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Sake Sailajanath on Saturday slammed the YSR Congress Party for failing to deliver on its promise made in its election manifesto of securing Special Category Status for the State.
Addressing the media here on Saturday, Mr. Sailajanath said that the YSRCP was unable to put pressure on the Centre to grant SCS for the State.
He added that funds were not released for the Sujala Sravanthi scheme and the Visakhapatnam railway zone, which was announced in February last year.
“Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy should tell the people what he has achieved in his recent meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” the PCC president said.
Mr. Sailajanath said that the Congress was opposed to the three capitals move. “The capital of a State should ideally be located in its centre,” he said.
He added that while the Chief Minister had welcomed the establishment of the State capital in Amaravati when it was proposed in the Assembly, the ruling party is now singing a different tune.
Mr. Sailajanath also accused the YSRCP of using the three capitals issue as a distractionary tactic to sideline public attention from its failures.
He said that an all-party meeting should be convened on the capitals issue.
“Visakhapatnam witnessed rapid development during Congress rule. Several IT and pharma industries were set up when Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was the Chief Minister,” Mr. Sailajanath said.
On local body elections, he said that Congress would contest all seats in the local body and municipal elections across the State.
Earlier, PCC working president Tulasi Reddy criticised the YSRCP for its proposal to establish three capitals in the State. He said that Visakhapatnam should be developed as a financial and IT capital of the State, and alleged that YSRCP leaders were eager to be a part of the NDA government at the Centre.
