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Narendra Modi mum on Andhra Pradesh package

Lays stone for dream capital, vows all help from centre.

Vijayawada: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the cynosure of all eyes as he laid the foundation stone for Amaravathi, the new dream capital of Andhra Pradesh at Uddandarayuni Palem near Vijayawada on Thursday, but by the end of his brief two-hour visit, disappointment was writ large on the faces of the large gathering including chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu as the Prime Minister failed to announce the much-expected financial package for the fund-starved residuary State.
Leave alone extending a financial package which many in the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government believed would surpass the Rs1025 billion he had announced for Bihar recently, Modi failed to deliver even a token 'gift' befitting such an auspicious occasion as the birth of a new capital save for an assurance that the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was "committed to implement all the provisions encompassed in the AP Reorganization Bill" which brought about the bifurcation to form a separate Telangana State last year.
The Prime Minister, however, sought to establish the strong ties between the BJP and the TDP and between New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh by bringing soil from the Parliament premises and water from River Yamuna, which he said was a powerful symbol of the Centre's commitment to help AP.
"When I heard through the media that people from all over Andhra Pradesh had brought soil from their respective towns and villages to be mixed with the soil of Amaravathi, I was motivated to bring soil from Parliament, which is the temple of democracy in our country and water from Yamuna. This is symbolic of the national capital's commitment to the development of Amaravathi," Modi said in his address after laying the foundation stone and unveiling the new capital's plaque.
The Prime Minister, stating that the Centre would extend all help to AP, said New Delhi would walk shoulder-to-shoulder with the State on the path of development.
"There is a great frequency match between Naidu and the Union Government, and both parties understand the needs of each other," Modi said, adding that the NDA government was committed to fulfilling all the promises made to AP in the bifurcation Bill in letter and spirit.
Modi, who devoted a considerable portion of his speech to emphasize on the need for unity between Telugu-speaking people in the post-bifurcation era, said he was indeed happy when he came to know that Naidu had personally called on his Telangana counterpart to invite him for the foundation stone ceremony. "The need of the hour is to maintain unity, and irrespective of which State one belongs to, either AP or Telangana, the soul is still Telugu," he said, pointing out that certain forces that had brought about the bifurcation without any thought for the future or consequences were still trying to sow seeds of suspicion among the Telugu-speaking people.
"Both AP and Telangana have the potential to emerge as economically-powerful States. The two States should help each other achieve their respective dreams and set an example to other States," the Prime Minister said.
On its part, the Centre had already sanctioned several major institutions to Andhra Pradesh to help in its development, he said, and pointed out that start-ups were playing a major role in economic development.
"AP with such a large youth base is ideally suited for start-ups and the government should push for it," Modi said.
Besides the Telangana chief minister, Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Y S Choudary, Nirmala Seetharaman, Bandaru Dattatreya, representatives from various countries including Japan and Singapore, Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah and Governor of the two Telugu States E S L Narasimhan also participated in the ceremony.