New Delhi: These days, nothing touches a chord in Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu more than the demand of special status for his state Andhra Pradesh.
Result: he was engaged in an interesting exchange with Union Minister Rajnath Singh at a Niti Aayog meeting on Sunday. Making a presentation before Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fellow chief ministers and several Union ministers, Naidu exceeded the 7-minute slot allotted for participants. When Rajnath Singh tried to point this out to the Andhra CM, he reportedly quipped, “Mine is a special state with special problems. I will take more time.” Naidu then went onto speak for 20 minutes, sources added.
The Chief Minister had prepared a 13-page document to include all his major demands. The TDP chief found support for his demand when Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar vouched for it and took the opportunity to call for a special category status for his state as well. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also supported Naidu’s demand and urged the Prime Minister to grant SCS to Andhra Pradesh. Andhra has also been opposing the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission which, they feel, is penalizing southern states for performing well. Naidu found support from Banerjee on this issue as well.
