Cong will grant SCS to AP if voted to power: Sachin Pilot

Congress party senior leader and former Union Minister Sachin Pilot has reiterated the assurance of granting Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh if the Congress is voted to power.
The Congress party organized a public meeting here on Friday for which Sachin Pilot attended as chief guest. Addressing the meeting, Sachin Pilot recalled that the then Congress party-led Central government consented to accord SCS to AP during bifurcation. But the BJP which had to come to power in the 2014 elections, refused to grant the SCS to AP, he alleged.
The two regional parties which ruled the state have forgotten the SCS issue and failed to exert pressure on the Centre for the same. “The Modi-led Centre deceived the farmers and the unemployed by not fulfilling the assurances. The Centre is not extending due funds to the non-BJP states. Some regional parties have failed to question the Modi-led Centre on the releasing of funds,” he slammed.
“The Congress will fulfill its assurance. The Congress will grant the SCS to AP but the party needs the blessing of the people,” Sachin Pilot reiterated.
APCC president YS Sharmila released the declaration on SCS at the meeting. Addressing the meeting she said that Rahul Gandhi would make the first sign granting SCS to AP after coming to power. The SCS would exist for 10 years in AP, she asserted.
Stating that the ‘SCS is the right of AP people’ Sharmila lashed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi betrayed AP by not granting SCS, she slammed. The Prime Minister is also creating hurdles for the construction of the Polavaram project, she denounced.
The APCC president asked people who they support. “Will you support those who denied SCS to AP or who have assured of granting it immediately after coming to power? I joined the Congress party in AP when it was in a coma to rejuvenate it and to achieve the SCS and other Reorganisation provisions,” she made it clear.
She promised to provide the YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s welfare regime to every household and bring SCS. YS Sharmila recalled that Narendra Modi on the same ground assured of granting SCS in the 2014 elections to AP if voted to power. But after coming to power he betrayed the state by denying it, she lambasted.
Taking a dig at Chandrababu Naidu, Sharmila said Naidu was assured of constructing a world-class capital city but failed to do so. Now he is trying to align with the BJP which refused to grant SCS, she criticized.
Coming down heavily on Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, Sharmila alleged that the state had gone 25 years back in respect of development during the Jagan Reddy-headed regime. “Naidu deceived people with 3D graphics and Jagan Reddy has deceived people with three capital concepts,” she lambasted.