Special package for AP soon, says Arun Jaitley

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday assured agitating members from Andhra Pradesh that the Centre is looking at all issues concerning the state sympathetically and some decision on a special package and revenue deficit will be worked out in the next couple of days.

There was high drama in the Lok Sabha as soon as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stood up to reply to the budget discussion. Agitating TDP members, who were already in the Well, turned towards Jaitley and urged him to consider their demands. Jaitley asked them to allow him begin is speech in which he would also refer to the state. Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and Stastics and D V Sadananda Gowda too tried to convince the TDP members to allow Jaitley to speak.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan warned the TDP against showing their back to the Chair. It took TDP leader Thota Narasimham several minutes to convince his colleagues to allow Jaitley to speak.

When Jaitley spoke on Andhra Pradesh, the TDP members were standing close to him, prompting union minister Uma Bharti to shield his cabinet colleague from any possible disruption.

An NDA ally, TDP has been disrupting proceedings, demanding special package for the state. In his speech, Jaitley said many of the promises made at the time of bifurcation of the state are being fulfilled and various other works are in the progress. But his assurance failed to placate the members of TDP and YSRC who protested by displaying placards and shouting slogans in the Well of the House. Some of them also squatted in the Well in protest.

When the state of Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated, it was also thought about economic disadvantage that the state is going to face, Jaitley said.