Both the Andhra Pradesh government and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Sunday strongly disputed the figures mentioned by the saffron party regarding the Centre’s financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh post bifurcation.
BJP’s national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao and party’s state president K Hari Babu had released a 27-page note containing the figures in Delhi on Saturday.
Hari Babu claimed the figures he had quoted were furnished by the Central government. “There is absolutely no dispute over it. (But) if they (TDP) ask for moon, then I have no answer,” he said.
The BJP note claimed that the Centre had paid Rs 22,113 crore for five years as per the finance commission report, total funding for the irrigation component of the Polavaram project, an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore for road infrastructure, Rs 25,000 crore for Amaravati Expressway, Rs 10,000 crore for urban housing, and funds for educational institutes.
When contacted, Andhra Pradesh state planning board vice-chairman Ch Kutumba Rao described the BJP’s note as “fiction”. “The actual amount spent on the roads in AP in the last three years is just Rs 5,950 crore. Even this is part of the budget of the National Highway Authority of India for highways passing through Andhra Pradesh on build-operate-transfer basis.”
He said Andhra Pradesh got Rs 2,100 crore for both urban and rural housing schemes in the last three years and not Rs 17,000 crore as claimed by the BJP. On assistance given for institutions, Rao said the amount given was only sufficient for operational expenses like rent and salaries. “Even funds that are due as part of devolution of funds as per the finance commission’s recommendations are also shown as central assistance.”
{{/usCountry}}He said Andhra Pradesh got Rs 2,100 crore for both urban and rural housing schemes in the last three years and not Rs 17,000 crore as claimed by the BJP. On assistance given for institutions, Rao said the amount given was only sufficient for operational expenses like rent and salaries. “Even funds that are due as part of devolution of funds as per the finance commission’s recommendations are also shown as central assistance.”
{{/usCountry}}TDP MP Galla Jayadev said the BJP was “misleading and confusing the people with irrelevant figures”. “Instead of talking about funds that are routinely given to the state, the Centre should disclose what funds it has provided as part of the special financial package,” he said.