Hyderabad:
The Telugu Desam Party has demanded that the Centre include Andhra Pradesh in the drought-affected states' list and extend a relief package to it immediately.
"More than 400 mandals (tehsils) in the state are reeling under drought but the Central government has turned a blind eye yet again towards Andhra Pradesh," TDP politburo member Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said in a statement today.
Half the state is facing a drought situation this season due to deficit rainfall. While the overall rainfall deficit in the state is four per cent from June 1 to July 31, about 12 districts recorded a deficit of up to 27 per cent.
"The UPA government has been grossly discriminating against Andhra Pradesh over the last eight years despite various natural calamities hitting the state badly. The Centre has been showing a lot of bias against the state in extending financial assistance for disaster relief measures.
"While the state government sought a sum of Rs 50,000 crore towards disaster relief in the last eight years, the Centre did not release even Rs 2,000 crore," Yanamala pointed out.
He lashed out at the Union ministers from the state and the Congress MPs for remaining mute despite grave injustice being done to the state.
The TDP leader demanded that the Centre also include Andhra Pradesh in the drought-hit list and extend financial assistance to affected mandals.
He also wanted the Centre to supply diesel to the farm sector at 50 per cent subsidy.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar prepared a Rs 1,900 crore relief package for his home state Maharashtra and later extended it to Rajasthan and Karnataka.