Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today administered a pledge to the citizens of Andhra Pradesh, saying they should dedicate themselves to the task of building a modern state free from poverty and corruption and make it the best state in the country by 2029.
“This was the day (June 2) our state was indiscriminately and irrationally dividedinto two by Congress. Gross injustice was done to us and we were insulted. It paid a heavy political price for this but we are also left suffering,” Naidu said addressing ‘Nava Nirmana Deeksha’ programme at Benz Circle here.
“We should dedicate ourselves with a resolve and vengeance to rebuild Andhra Pradesh into a modern state and place it on the top in all respects in the world by the year 2050,” he said, exhorting citizens to work towards making the state the best in the country by 2029.
“Congress chose June 2 for the bifurcation of the state as it marked the Independence Day of Italy. That’s the day we were hit on the stomach and thrown onto the streets with nothing in hand,” he claimed.
The state is reeling under a financial deficit caused by the bifurcation.
“Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who was then the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha when the Reorganisation Bill was being passed, promised justice to AP. He also promised special category state status but those promises are yet to be kept,” the Chief Minister said.
He said the Centre’s hand-holding support was very critical for the state to grow at par with other states.
“The Centre should liberally help us in all respects, be it building the new capital or other key infrastructure,” he added.
Earlier, the Chief Minister conducted a foot march for about a kilometre along with Water Resources Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, Chief Secretary Satya Prakash Tucker, Director General of Police J V Ramudu, MP Kesineni Srinivas and others to Benz Circle.
The venue was chosen for the programme as it was where widespread agitation programmes were conducted between August 2013 and June 2014 against the bifurcation of the state.