Hyderabad: Though the NDA government continues to be cagey about according special category status to Andhra Pradesh, the Telugu Desam Party does not seem to have taken a serious note of it during the three-day Mahanadu which began here on Wednesday.

The TDP has not included this issue in the list of the resolutions it has been introducing since yesterday. According to party sources, this issue does not figure even in the political resolution that would be introduced on Friday.  At the most there may be a passing reference to it during the course of speeches on the resolution by party leaders.

The TDP and its leaders have been equally cagey on the issue of special status. The MPs and ministers in Union Cabinet from Andhra Pradesh have been maintaining that the issue was under the consideration of the Centre as there were certain technical problems and that they were trying hard to get the Centre’s nod for it.

Even without clearly stating that the special category status is not being considered for AP and Telangana, the Centre has been claiming that `appropriate' fiscal measures, including offer of tax incentives, are being taken as per the AP Reorganisation Act which will promote industrialisation and economic growth in both the states.

In the backdrop of this, it was expected that the TDP would move a resolution on this issue at its Mahanadu. The government may feel embarrassed to come out openly but the party can make such a demand, some senior leaders felt. But the resolutions committee seems to have decided

Chandrababu Naidu who dwelled at length on how the UPA had divided the State without following proper procedure made only a passing reference to the issue of special status and that it was still pending with the Centre. So far the State government did not deem it necessary to pass any resolution on the issue in the State Assembly nor did the main opposition make any such demand.

It may be mentioned here that the Odisha government had passed a resolution in the State Assembly asking the Centre to accord special status category to it. At present, the 11 states, that are accorded the special category status, get 90 per cent central funding for externally aided projects (EAPs) whereas for the other states, the aid is in the form of back-to-back loans.