Congress to make declaration on SCS in Tirupati on March 1

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief YS Sharmila Reddy has stated that her party will make a declaration about Special Category Status (SCS) for the State in Tirupati on March 1. In the election campaign held in Tirupati, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured Special Category Status, she said. So, the Congress party has decided to make the SCS declaration at the spiritual city of Tirupati, she added.
Addressing a media conference at the party State office Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada on Wednesday, Sharmila said both TDP and YSRCP failed to fight for the SCS in the past 10 years.
Andhra Pradesh suffered huge losses because of the non-implementation of the assurances given to the State as per the State Bifurcation Act.
She pointed out that Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand States made significant developments due to the implementation of SCS. Around 10,000 new industries were set up in Himachal Pradesh and 2,000 new industries were set up in Uttarakhand. The same could have happened in AP, she said.
She added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also assured to transform Andhra Pradesh into a hardware hub, set up a petroleum research institute in Andhra Pradesh and to allot grants for the construction of Amaravati.
She alleged PM Modi and the BJP government betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh on SCS and sanctioning of funds for the development of the State.
The Union government spends 30 per cent of its budget on SCS States and sanctions grants that need not be repaid by the States. YSRCP came to power assuring people of fighting for SCS and later ignored it. The Congress party got only 1.18 percent vote share in the 2019 Assembly elections. Still she joined the party only with the intention to fight for the SCS and develop the State, she said.
Sharmila further said the development of Andhra Pradesh would be possible only with SCS and the Congress government will sanction the same if it is voted to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge launched the Indiramma Abhaya Hastam scheme in Anantapur for the people of Andhra Pradesh assuring to sanction Rs.5,000 to every woman in Andhra Pradesh after the Congress party comes into power.
She added that former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy lives in the hearts of the people of Andhra Pradesh because he gave equal importance to welfare and development.