NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday said setting up an oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh was originally a commitment made by the Manmohan Singh government in the thirteenth schedule of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
Taking note of an ET report about the Centre acceding to Andhra Pradesh chief minister and key NDA ally N Chandrababu Naidu‘s demands on these projects, the Congress said that as per the 2014 Act, these projects were to be implemented within 10 years and that the Modi regime, having failing to do so, had “only initiated the feasibility study now”. It also said that with the BJP no longer in majority in Parliament, rapid implementation of the Act could now be expected.
“An oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Andhra Pradesh was originally a commitment made by Dr Manmohan Singh’s government in the Thirteenth Schedule of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014,” Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, attaching a copy of the Thirteenth Schedule of the Act.
“In fact, the ‘ek tihayi’ Pradhan Mantri’s government was legally obliged to deliver the project within the last ten years, and IOC/HPCL were obliged to examine the feasibility of the project within six months…. The government, after failing to move for 10 years, has only initiated the feasibility study now,” Ramesh said.
