Jagan meets PM Modi, denies politicking

Vijayawada: After stoutly denying any political motive behind the sudden visit to New Delhi after the conclusion of the budget session of the Assembly, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his chambers in Parliament on Friday and requested him to expedite several issues related to the State. Reminding the Prime Minister that the Finance Ministry has already agreed to remove component-wise expenditure ceiling on Polavaram Project and release Rs 12,911 crore for its first phase completion, he urged him to get Cabinet approval for the two pending issues He also urged the Prime Minister to release on a priority basis Rs 17,144 crore for speedy completion of the project;s first phase, the proposal of which was pending in the Jal Shakti Ministry.

He further sought immediate steps from the Centre to ensure the release of Rs.7,230crore arrears by the Telangana Government to APGENCO for the power supplied to it for three years from 2014. The Chief Minister also urged him to grant Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and implement other assurances given at the time of bifurcation as it helps the State attract investments for industrial development and improve employment opportunities.

The Chief Minister’s departure for Delhi fuelled speculation as a day after TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda reportedly on forging an tripartite alliance between TDP, Jana Sena Party and BJP to face elections in Andhra Pradesh. “He has gone to Delhi to take up long pending issues at the highest level in the national capital,” YSRCP general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy told the media, when he was asked to explain the political significance behind the sudden visit to Delhi.