The Congress will confer special category status on Andhra Pradesh after it emerges victorious in next year’s general elections, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s promise in Parliament at the time of the State’s bifurcation in 2014 will be fulfilled, Congress President Rahul Gandhi asserted at a public meeting at Kurnool on Tuesday.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not understand that a promise made by the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) on the floor of the Rajya Sabha to the five crore people of Andhra Pradesh is binding on his successor also. He is clearly disrespecting healthy democratic traditions, the five crore people of AP, and the great leaders hailing from this State. Once we come back to power, which we are bound to next year, we will fulfil promise made by Manmohan Singh. It is not our gift to you. It is your right — the right of the people of AP,” Rahul said in Kurnool.

He alleged that the Modi government had reneged on the commitments made to AP at the time of bifurcation, including the creation of a special railway zone, a steel plant for Kadapa, and several other promises. “I assure you we will fulfil all the promises. It is we who conferred the national irrigation project status on Polavaram, which is the lifeline for AP,” he said.

Later, Rahul Gandhi lashed out at Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for “allowing Vijaya Mallya to get away from the country to London after stealing ₹9,000 crore from PSU banks.” He demanded that the Prime Minister sack Jaitley. He also spoke at length about the Rafale fighter aircraft deal, which the Congress chief, alleged was mired in corruption.

He appealed to the people of AP to vote for Congress and Special Category Status.

N Raghuveera Reddy, the State Congress President, translated Rahul’s speech into Telugu.

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