Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu urges Centre to relax FRBM norms, seeks more borrowings

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday urged the Centre to relax the limit set by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act so that Andhra Pradesh could go for more borrowings to boost public spending.

“How can I mobilise finances? I have a lot of work on my hands. I need to get money from one source or the other. Let the Centre relax the FRBM norms for AP,” The New Indian Express quoted him as saying.

Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada, Naidu said that it was the responsibility of all political parties in Parliament to undo the injustice done to Andhra Pradesh in the matter of its bifurcation.

“The BJP has a larger responsibility in this regard. All parties should come to the rescue of Andhra Pradesh as they had contributed to its bifurcation by supporting the AP Reorganisation Bill (in 2014),” Chandrababu said.

He was referring to the stalemate in Rajya Sabha for the last two days over the private member’s bill, moved by Congress member KVP Ramachandra Rao seeking special category status to AP.

“I have asked the TDP MPs to do everything to safeguard the interests of the state,” he said, stating that his party was hence supporting the private member’s bill.

“I want all parties in Parliament to ensure that the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 be implemented in true spirit,” Chandrababu said.

“I raised this issue at the Inter-State Council meet on 16 July and reminded the chief ministers of all states about the irrational bifurcation. Not only was injustice done to AP but we were insulted. I asked them to undo the injustice as all parties were responsible for the division,” he said.

He wanted expeditious implementation of all the provisions of Reorganization Act and assurances made by the then Prime Minister on the floor of Rajya Sabha, the most important among them being grant of special category status.

The execution of Polavaram as a national irrigation project, sanction of railway zone at Visakhapatnam, special package for development of backward regions, provision of tax incentives for rapid industrialisation and release of balance grant to bridge the resource gap were some of the other demands he raised.

(With inputs from PTI)