No Special Status To Andhra, Centre Tells SC

The Union Government has filed a counter affidavit in the Supreme Court in response to the affidavit filed by Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy of Andhra Pradesh over the unkept bifurcation promises to the state including the promises made by then PM Manmohan Singh on the floor of the house. In the counter affidavit, the Centre for once and for all made it clear that there is nothing left to be done for the state of AP. The Centre claimed that it has done "what all it promised" in the AP Reorganization Act 2014.

Regarding Special Category Status to AP, the Centre ruled out of according the status to AP and conveyed the same to the Apex Court. Shockingly, the Union Finance Ministry has not raised anything about the Railway Zone promised to Visakhapatnam of Andhra Pradesh and has not mentioned why it didn't give it so far.

The Centre stated that it is in favour of developing Duggarajaptnam Port in principal but gave a twist that it has to work out on the practical possibilities. Even the Union Finance Ministry was tight-lipped over the Financial Assistance that it had promised to the backward regions of AP in the AP Reorganization Act. 

Talking about the revenue deficit as AP is formed as a deficit-state, the Centre claimed that the revenue deficit of AP in the first year was only Rs 4116 Crore and it said it had already disbursed Rs 3979 Crore already. The Centre in its affidavit told the Supreme Court that it had given Rs 2500 Crore to AP state government regarding the building of Capital City Amaravati and said it would further give another Rs 1000 Crore in three instalments -  Rs 330 Crore per year in the next three years.

Ponguleti had earlier filed an affidavit seeking Supreme Court's intervention in the matter of the Centre's unkept and long-delayed promises to AP. He has asked the Centre through Supreme Court that when will it keep its promises to AP. He sought an explanation from the Centre through the Apex Court. As the SC has taken up the affidavit, the Centre had to file a counter-affidavit.