BJP leader and Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal on Thursday came down heavily on the ruling YSRCP government in the State, terming it as “vindictive and corrupt to the core.”
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The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would form the government in the State, and TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu would take oath as Chief Minister on June 4, he asserted.
Mr. Goyal, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, national joint secretary Shiv Prakash, and State general secretary (Organisation) Madhukar met Mr. Naidu at his residence at Undavalli, near here. Neither the BJP nor the TDP divulged the details of their discussions.
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‘Mafia ruling the roost’
Later, addressing the media, Mr. Goyal said that under the YSRCP rule Andhra Pradesh became a “haven for sand, land and liquor mafia.” The YSRCP government had no regard for the Constitution, and diverted more than ₹8,000 crore funds relating to the Panchayat Raj Department.
Though the Union government was ready to establish the headquarters for the railway zone in Visakhapatnam, the State government did not allot land needed for the purpose, he said.
Also, the Central government had sanctioned more than 21.32 lakh houses to the State under the PM Awas Yojana. But the State government could handover a mere 3.25 lakh houses to the beneficiaries, he said, adding, that A.P. would progress only if the NDA came to power. “A double-engine sarkar will put A.P. back on the development track,” he added.
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SCS issue
When asked about the Special Category Status (SCS), Mr. Goyal said the Union government had released enough funds for the development of A.P. under a special package.
When pointed out that the TDP had parted ways with the NDA over the SCS issue in 2018, Mr. Goyal said, “There was some misunderstanding. Now, it is sorted out.”
BJP national secretariat member Somu Veerraju, State general secretary S. Dayakar Reddy, NTR district president Adduri Sriram, Pathuri Nagabhushanam and others were present.