Amaravati's Grand Inauguration Leaves Many Disappointed

Vijaywada: Opposition parties held protests throughout Andhra Pradesh on Friday against the ceremonial inauguration of its new capital city Amaravati where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced no new economic packages nor declared a special status for the state, disappointing many.

Ahead of the grand inauguration on Thursday, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had told NDTV that he expected the Prime Minister to grant special status to state, endowing special benefits from the Centre for the state which had been divided last year to create Telangana.

But after as no such announcement came, YSR Congress, Congress and the Communist Party of India today burnt effigies and raised slogans against the Prime Minister and Chief Minister in protests across the state.

Noted economist MC Das said, "Hopes were high and we are revenue deficit. There were big expectations because without Central help, the state cannot move forward."

Industrialist Murali Krishna, also the president of the Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said, "He should have announced fresh funds or some new institutions. He instead mentioned only what is already sanctioned."

But the ruling Telugu Desam Party, which partners the BJP to govern the state, maintained that Prime Minister Modi has promised to implement the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and also help build Amaravati.

Party sources said that at a time when the dais yesterday was being shared by Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, it may not have been appropriate for the Prime Minister to announce anything new for Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu dismissed the protests as "political gimmicks". "The Central government will do everything possible to take care of deficit of Andhra Pradesh. Centre will implement whatever is in the Act," he said.