TDP to seek special status for Andhra Pradesh in Parliament

Telugu Desam Party will press for special category status for Andhra Pradesh in the ongoing Budget session of Parliament, besides seeking due financial package as per the AP Reorganisation Act-2014. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will write a letter to the Centre tomorrow requesting it to amend the Constitution to increase the number of Assembly constituencies from 175 to 225, as per provisions of the Act, Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDPP) leader Y Satyanarayana Chowdary said here. Following a TDPP meeting at the Chief Minister's Office here, the Union MoS for Science and Technology said they have decided to exert pressure on the Centre to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh as per the promise made in Parliament during the bifurcation of the state in 2014. "We have been requesting the Centre for special status for the last two years and the issue is being looked into. We will also seek a special (economic) package to safeguard the interests of the state," he said. On delimitation of Assembly constituencies, Chowdary said it has been incorporated in the AP Reorganisation Act itself. "A Constitutional amendment is required for this and the Centre has asked for a letter from the Chief Minister. Accordingly, he will write a letter by Monday afternoon," the Union Minister said. On setting up a new railway zone at Visakhapatnam, he said a decision in this regard had already been taken but certain procedural issues were being sorted out. "The Chief Minister directed us to strongly follow up the railway zone issue and ensure that it is included in the supplementary demands of railway budget," he added. Naidu chaired the TDPP meeting that was attended by Union Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju and TDP MPs. The two BJP MPs from the state, K Haribabu and Gokaraju Gangaraju, also attended the meeting as special invitees. State Principal Finance Secretary P V Ramesh briefed the MPs on grants and other financial assistance due from Centre.