"Issue not created by PM Modi, but by Congress": Pawan Kalyan on demand for special status for Andhra

In a candid interview with ANI on Wednesday, Kalyan argued that the 2014 bifurcation, which saw the state lose its revenue-rich capital, Hyderabad, was the root cause of the current economic imbalance, exonerating Prime Minister Narendra Modi from responsibility.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, passed under the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government, created a separate Telangana state, leaving the successor state of Andhra Pradesh in a precarious financial position. While the UPA government had assured SCS to help the new state rebuild, that promise remained unfulfilled.

For years, Pawan Kalyan was a vocal proponent of the demand for SCS. However, reflecting on the issue today, he emphasised that the crisis was inherited, not manufactured by the current leadership. "The issue was not created by PM Modi," Kalyan stated. "It was created by Congress. Your haphazard, divisive approach, the state division."

Kalyan's comments come at a time when the political discourse in Andhra Pradesh has shifted. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which famously exited the NDA alliance in 2018 over the refusal to grant SCS, has since returned to the coalition.

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has largely moved away from the specific demand for "Special Category Status," opting instead to push for broad-based structural and financial packages, arguing that the state's economic challenges have "gone beyond the stage" of a mere designation.

Kalyan echoed this sentiment, suggesting that continuing to pursue the status has become a "futile fight."

"When you accept a certain thing and move on, when the entire cabinet and the entire assembly accepted it, for me, it looks like a futile fight," he explained.

The JSP founder's remarks signal a pragmatism shared by the current state leadership. With the state government now focused on holistic financial rehabilitation rather than a single legislative label, Kalyan's statement reflects a strategic pivot.

By framing the origins of the state's plight firmly within the actions of the previous UPA administration, the Deputy Chief Minister is signalling that his government is moving forward by focusing on comprehensive growth packages rather than revisiting a battle that has yielded little success over the past decade. (ANI)