Grouse of raw deal to Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget 2015 continues to be a subject of heated debate in the State with many more leaders coming out strongly against the Centre and the voices becoming shrill.
After Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and several of his Cabinet colleagues, it was the turn of popular actor and Telugu Desam legislator Nandamuri Balakrishna to go public with his disappointment over the short shrift given to Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget 2015.
"If Centre does not do justice to Andhra Pradesh, people will revolt", he warned expressing his displeasure over the meager budgetary allocation to the State.
"If the self respect of Telugu people is hurt, they will revolt", he warned.
Talking to the reporters in his constituency in Anantapur district, Balakrishna said that if Centre continues its present attitude, the people would not allow the leaders to walk on the streets.
He expressed dismay that despite Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu visiting Delhi many times and seeking Centre's help to meet the special needs of Andhra Pradesh, Centre did not respond.
"The day will come when the Centre will have to acknowledge the gravity of the situation in Andhra Pradesh", he said. "I am not able to understand why the Centre is behaving like this. The aspirations and hopes with which the people have voted should be fulfilled. This is the responsibility of the Centre."
After visiting Gollaplly reservoir in Anantapur, Balakrishna said, "How is it possible if they ask to us to construct Polavaram project by just throwing `100 crore at us".
He wondered why it was difficult to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh when such problems did not come in the way of giving it to the other States.
Meanwhile, lok Satta founder president Jayaprakash Narayan also lashed out at the Center for ignoring the special needs of Andhra Pradesh.
"The losses which the State has suffered by losing Hyderabad should be compensated over the next five years", he told a press conference in Hyderabad on Monday.
Jayaprakash Narayan said that the revenue deficit of Andhra Pradesh was much bigger than acknowledged by the 14th Finance Commission and Center should help in bridging this gap.
"Center is trying to cheat us by manipulating the data", he alleged. "We are not begging. Demanding funds is our right".
He also demanded that the Andhra Pradesh Government should publish a white paper on the financial situation of the State. The lok Satta leader was planning to go on a hunger strike at Anantapur, Visakhapatanam and Vijaywada over the next one week.
Another senior TDP leader S Chandramohan Reddy warned that if Prime Minister Narendar Modi does not keep the promises made in the AP State Reorganization Act, the BJP will face Delhi-like electoral defeats in all other States.
Senior Minister Ganta Srinivas Rao said that it was not proper for the BJP leaders to change their stand on special category status to Andhra Pradesh.