Arun Jaitley should be sacked for his lies & manipulations

Jaitley stated in Rajya Sabha on July 29, 2016 that 14th Finance Commission has prohibited granting of Special Category Status to any state hereafter. Whereas Finance Commission deals with appropriation revenue sharing between centre and states and nothing else. This was confirmed by Y.Venugopla Reddy, ex-chairman of 14th Finance Commission to Jairam Ramesh, Congress member in RS in his private conversation that the matter of Special Category Status to states was never mentioned in his report which was later accepted by Centre. Where as AP status category status is a political assurance given by PM Manmohan Singh, in Rajya Sabha as a precondition set by BJP's Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu for passing AP Reorganization Bill 2014. Later Manmohan Singh's cabinet approved special status to AP and Planning Commission was directed to facilitate immediately and then General Elections 2014 were notified. Jaitley's lies and histrionics tantamount to conspiracy to deprive AP of its legitimate right only to please BJD, AIADMK & TRS in Orissa, Tamilnadu and Orissa for political gains.

Jaitley as FM has not allotted any significant funds to Polavaram project in AP, which was declared as National Project in AP Reorganization Act 2014 in the budget 2014 nor budget 2015. Jaitley stated in RS that funds are being arranged through NABARD route. While budget grants are central funds and are non refundable, NABARD funds are interest bearing loans within the borrowing limits of AP and are refundable by AP. That is neither a favour nor any help from Jaitley and equating these two amount to manipulation for not allotting budget grants and violation of Act.

Hence Jaitley should be sacked and court marshaled for (1) failing in his duties with his lies in Rajya Sabha misleading the house and nation and (2) manipulations depriving AP of its legitimate rights.

BJP & Modi makes mockery of AP Reorganization Act 2014

Centre is supposed to resolve the teething issues between AP and TS which couldn't be resolved by them mutually with in a month or two, as per the AP Reorganization Act 2014  and also directed by the Supreme Court in its recent judgement.

The list of unresolved, teething and burning issues, even after two years of states reorganization, are:

1. Role of governor in maintenance of law and order in Hyderabad.
2. Division of institutions listed in Schedules 9 & 10 of the Act.
3. Delay in bifurcation of High Court.
4. Granting special category status to AP.
5. Granting incentives for promotion of new industries in AP.
6. Increasing Assembly seats in AP & TS, which requires Constitution amendment.
7. Sharing of power.
8. Sharing of Krishna & Godavari river waters.
9. Inaction by KRMB and Apex council.
10. Operation of Nagarjuna Sagar & Srisailam dams and its power houses.
11. Release of adequate funds to AP for (i) budget deficit gap reimbursement (ii) Capital city construction and (iii) Polavaram dam construction
12. Delaying funds for construction of buildings etc for national institutions started in temporary premises.
13. Dugarajapatnam port sanction got diverted to Tamil Nadu.
14. Kadapa steel plant conveniently forgotten.
15. Railway zone for AP yet to be announced.
16. Srisailam based LI projects by TS without water allocation and approvals will effect downstream AP's agriculture interests.

However, the Central Government headed by Narendra Modi of BJP is maintaining stoic silence over teething and burning issues purely for political reasons and protecting BJP's prospects in these states. On the contrary it is making vicious campaign that they are doing lot more than what they are supposed to do and they will fulfill all provisions made in the Act but never states when.

In most matters, AP is in disadvantageous position and is greatly disappointed for not getting enough central assistance & support even after two years of bifurcation despite being coalition partner at centre and in AP.

Like Deve Gowda was stated as PM of Karnataka, Modi is unable to see anything beyond Gujarat reflected by the recent visit of Chinese premier to Gujarat only and announcing several Chinese projects for Gujarat. And also Modi granted bullet train to Ahmedabad-Mumbai route only (in place of Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune route) and keeping aside five other equally or more important routes.

My View:
Arun Jaitley's statement in RS stating that AP just because is a coalition partner can't be given more funds is not only offensive but also insult to people of AP. First of all let him fulfill his legal obligations to AP as defined in the AP Reorganization Act 2014 and recollect promises made by Modi, Venkaiah Naidu and himself in various fora and fulfill them. After that the matter of favors comes into picture. The pertinent questions are just because AP is their coalition partner can't be deprived of their legitimate rights and keep them perennially waiting for central assistance. BJP trying to appease non coalition state governments (like TS, Orissa & TN) for political reasons* at the expense of coalition partners (like AP) is not only wrong but also unacceptable non-sense.

While Sonia Gandhi, Congress and UPA made blunder of passing defective AP Reorganization Bill 2014, circumventing the conventions & procedures with the help of BJP, now BJP & Modi are making mockery by not implementing their obligations of the Act and not rectifying the mistakes made in that Act and making irresponsible statements in Parliament belittling themselves.

Congress was buried in AP in 2014 elections then for their misdeeds now BJP is also heading for the same in next elections in AP.

* BJP requires support of TRS, AIADMK and BJD for passage of  GST bill in RS.
  Special category status denied to appease TRS and AIADMK.
  Polavaram delayed to appease BJD.

BJP Commits suicide in AP

The ruling BJP virtually committed suicide in AP, by stalling private bill of Congress member KVP Ramachandra Rao, for granting "Special Status to AP" in Rajya Sabha yesterday (Fri 22/7/2016), illegally and immorally, contradictory to business rules of the house.

Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced "Special Status to AP" for 5 years in Rajya Sabha as a precondition of BJP leaders in upper house Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley, then opposition leaders in RS demanded 10 year's special status to AP, while passing AP Reorganization Bill 2014. However after assuming power Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, contrary to all his election promises made in AP, developed cold feet, for political reasons detrimental to AP interests.

• Central assistance extended to AP after bifurcation was falling very much short of the provisions of the Act.
• 20,000 crore Polavaram project scheduled to be completed by 2018, has received 50 crore during 2014-15 and 200 crores in 2015-16. At this pace it would never get completed.
• Capital city construction requires at least 100,000 crores, where as so far assistance received is less than 2,000 crores.
• New Railway zone for AP with Visakhapatnam as HQ was put in cold storage violating AP Reorganisation Act.
• Dugarajapatnam port project  was diverted to Tamilnadu, violating AP Reorganisation Act.
• Estimated Budget  deficit of Rs.16,000 crores for 2014-15 and similar amount for 2015-16 was not reimbursed so far. Center continues asking clarifications after clarifications but not paying speaks volumes about their intentions.
• Special Status to AP was not granted so far on the pretext that it is contradictory to Niti Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission) where as Manmohan Singh's cabinet already approved this. Niti Aayog is neither superior to Parliament nor Union Cabinet inferior to Niti Aayog.
• No tangible explanation given by BJP Government so far. Nor alternate compensatory amounts stated.
• BJP with vote base of less than 3% in AP, is virtually non existent in rural AP, is aspiring to become significant force by its pseudo leaders without any mass base will now get buried permanently in AP.
• Now Congress, which lost deposits in all the constituencies of AP in 2014 post bifurcation elections, stands to gain some mileage, only at the expense of rattled YCP.
• TDP by announcing support to the bill, despite being Congress private bill but in the larger interest of AP, overcoming the obligations of being part of Modi's NDA coalition government in Center stands sincere in the eyes of people of AP.
• On Sat 22/7/2016 by stalling the bill in RS, BJP had virtually put its neck in the suicide rope's loop.
• Tomorrow, i.e. Mon 25/7/2016 if the bill is not put to voting and BJP extend its support to bill and eventually grant "Special Status to AP", its self hanging in AP would get completed.
• BJP leadership's wishful thinking to become stronger by weakening TDP in AP is short sighted. In fact they would become stronger in AP by strengthening TDP government. So far its leaders false claims that central support of more than a lakh of crores was extended to AP so far, but not properly acknowledged by TDP Government in AP was laughed at even by lay man in AP.
• According to me, BJP has committed suicide by AP on Sat 22/7/2016 for its political histrionics during past two years. 
• Perhaps BJP is looking at Telangana allying with TRS & KCR, forgetting how they used  Sonia Gandhi and Congress for achieving separate statehood and once done, dumped them 100 feet under ground.
• Finally, BJP should realize that with zero rural base and scattered urban base in two Telugu states, BJP can't survive as a political party on its own. Piggy riding on TDP is beneficial to them especially with 1999-2004 experience when BJP almost received 9% votes in 1999 election and making impressive wins was with allying with TDP.
• Let us see whether better sense prevails with BJP's central leadership. In the mean time AP people will continue to suffer for no fault of theirs.
• In the words of Undavalli Arun Kumar, ex Rajahmundry MP, while Congress made an "attempted rape of AP" in 2014, BJP did raped AP today.
• Venkaiah Naidu turned out to be "AP Drohi" in the disguise of "disciplined BJP party worker".