TDP-JSP-BJP alliance government must strive for balanced development of all regions in Andhra Pradesh: Speakers at FDNA webinar

“The Telugu Desam Party–Jana Sena Party–Bharatiya Janata Party (TDP-JSP-BJP) alliance government should strive for the balanced development of all regions in Andhra Pradesh considering the past experiences, which led to the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh,” opined the speakers, at a webinar organised by the Forum for Development of North Andhra (FDNA) in Visakhapatnam on Thursday (December 26, 2024.)

Former Secretary to the Government of India EAS Sarma, UPSC former Member K.S. Chalam, environmentalist Y. Krishna Murthy, noted poet G. Gouru Naidu, M. Srinivasa, Badri Kumar Rao and U. Appala Raju were among those who participated in the webinar. FDNA general secretary A. Aja Sarma presided over the meeting.

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The speakers said that the alliance government should show its commitment to the all round development of the State and not just limit itself to empty rhetoric. “The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre was dependent on the support of the TDP and the JSP and this should be utilised by the State Government to secured funds for the balanced development of the State. The capital should be built to meet the aspirations of the common people and uphold Constitutional values,” they said.

“The backward North Andhra and Rayalaseema regions and Ongole district instead of developing in the last 10 years, post-bifurcation of the State, have been pushed to further backwardness. Migration of local people from the these regions continued to increase. This was due to the failure of the Centre in giving the special development package for the two backward regions in the State. The Centre has also failed to implement the Special Category Status (SCS) and other assurances given in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. It also reflects the lack of commitment on the part of the successive governments to exert pressure on the Centre for implementation of APRC.”

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They alleged that the Centre had also decided to sell the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP). The previous YSRCP government had failed to stop the Centre from going ahead with its plans. “The alliance partners in the State, which are partners in the NDA government, have failed to make the Centre issue a statement on withdrawing its decision on privatisation of VSP. The alliance government was content with issuing statements on the issue,” they said.

The speakers said the employees of VSP were not being paid their salaries on time. “The State Government should exert pressure on the Centre to allocate captive mines to VSP and to strengthen it further. Instead of thinking of setting up a private steel plant at Nakkapalli, the State Government should prevail upon the Centre to set up a public sector steel plant in Kadapa district,” they said.