Without any doubt, the special category status is a much-talked-about issue in Andhra politics as the state has been hoping to get it. This is a valid demand as the special category was assured by the then Union government led by the Congress party. Though no one knows what would happen if the Congress would have been at the Centre now, the Bharatiya Janata Party is not showing any interest in the demand.
The previous government led by the grand old Telugu Desam Party tried its best in fighting the demand. TDP was in the NDA alliance back then. But the demand was not achieved. Even when the government changed and YCP came to power there is no positive response.
Though YCP was not in an alliance with BJP, it is doping more than an ally party and supporting all the bills tabled in Parliament. But this failed in making the union government grant the special category.
At regular intervals, the union government said that Special Category status cannot be granted. Yet again the Centre made its stand clear that the special category cannot be granted. This time Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that. She said that no states will be given a special category status.
She said that no state will be given a special category as the Finance Commission said the same. During a press conference, Nirmala Sitharaman was asked if Odisha would be given a special status. But she said that no state will be given the same. It is known that Odisha and Bihar have been demanding special category longer than AP.
In one statement, Nirmala Sitharaman said that no state will be given a special category status. States like Odisha, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh now have to leave the hopes of a special category.
Drawing a comparison between the three states, Andhra Pradesh’s situation is not great and it wants the special category status for further growth. But the Union government once again poured water on Andhra Pradesh’s hopes to get a special category. Now we have to wait and see how the three states will respond now.
