Only Special Category Status will do justice to Andhra Pradesh: Sonia Gandhi

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated that justice to Andhra Pradesh would be done only if the Special Category Status was applied to the State in the post-split scenario. The Congress president made the statement when the PCC leaders led by Raghuveera Reddy met her and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the party headquarters. The State leaders handed over 10 million signatures of Andhras demanding Special Category Status for AP. Later, addressing the PCC leaders, Sonia said the party would exert pressure on the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to yield SCS for AP. She added the party was sincere about the struggle for Special Category Status for AP. Sonia hailed the struggle being put up by the PCC leaders. She pointed that many promises were made in the AP Reorganisation Bill. These included Special Category Status, a package for the backward districts in North Coast and Rayalseema, a special package for the Capital construction and National status for the Polavaram project. Although 2 years have passed, the BJP-led government was quiet about the promises made to AP by the NDA government. Rahul Gandhi pointed out that the then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had given Special Category Status for AP and the party would fight for fulfillment of the promises. He remarked that but for a pot of mud and water from Delhi, Narendra Modi government had not given anything to Andhra Pradesh. Dr Manmohan Singh assured that the party would ensure his promise for AP. The fact is the Congress made the slip between the Bill and the Act. The Congress cheated the State between the AP Reorganisation Bill and the AP Reorgansiation Act by deleting the Special Category Status from the Bill in the Act. The deletion was prominently being pointed out Central leaders such as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu. Now it's for the Congress to do justice to Andhra, because the party had received much support in cash and kind and strength from Andhra Pradesh.