BJP reneged on AP special status promise: Pawan Kalyan

"BJP went back on their manifesto promise of special category status to AP," Pawan Kalyan tweeted.

Hyderabad, Dec 18 Telugu actor-turned-politician and Janasena Party founder Pawan Kalyan, who has been critical of BJP over the promise of special status made to Andhra Pradesh, today alleged that the saffron party went back on its promise.

"BJP went back on their manifesto promise of special category status to AP," Kalyan tweeted. Kalyan supported TDP-BJP in the 2014 elections and his campaign was believed to be one of the major factors for the success of the combine in the polls.

"After a decade of humiliation and insult,'Andhras' were thrown out... without a capital, with a huge revenue deficit," he said. There is nothing special in the development package announced recently for Andhra Pradesh by the NDA government, he alleged. "The promised special category... and the special package is nothing but an eyewash. In that BJP's special package, there is nothing special except the word special," he said.

The promise of special status to Seemandhra was made by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament when the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act was passed. BJP had also promised special status to AP in the 2014 elections, but it had recently said the status cannot be given in the wake of recommendations by 14th Finance Commission.

PTI