Six Governors and four Chief Ministers met Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday and discussed with him various issues concerning their respective States.
Talking to reporters after the meeting Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy said “we are trying to convince for the need for special category status” and will discuss Saturday’s NITI Aayog meeting with all Chief Ministers.
Jagan said he requested Shah to “soften PM’s heart” on the issue of granting special category status to the Rs 2.58 lakh crore debt-ridden state. Asked if the post of deputy speaker in Lok Sabha was offered to YSRCP, he said, “Please don’t speculate on all these things. First of all, there is no offer... We have not asked and we have not spoken. And neither any such proposal has come from any quarter. As of now, there is no conversation or talk on that.”
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met the Home Minister s also Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with them various issues concerning the state. During the 15-minute meeting with the home minister, the Chief Minister briefed him about the prevailing situation in Assam, where the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be published on July 31.
“It was a courtesy call and I have congratulated him on behalf of the people for being chosen as the home minister of the country. I have also briefed him about the prevailing law and order situation in Assam,” he told reporters after the meeting with Shah. Sonowal is also believed to have discussed with Shah about the situation which may arise after the publication of the final list of the NRC. During his meeting with the Defence Minister, the Chief Minister discussed with him certain issues concerning Assam.
The Governors who met the Home minister were Uttar Pradesh’s Ram Naik, Haryana’s Satyadev Narayan Arya, Goa’s Mridula Sinha, Assam’s Jagdish Mukhi, Meghalaya’s Tathagata Roy and Sikkim’s Ganga Prasad. Among the chief ministers who met Shah were Goa’s Pramod Sawanta and Sikkim’s Prem Singh Tamang.
