Remember Andhra special category 'promise'? Jairam Ramesh wishes Venkaiah Naidu on birthday

M Venkaiah Naidu, who served as the 13th vice president of India from 2017 to 2022, turned 75 on Monday.

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh greeted former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu on his birthday on Monday and hoped that the "promise" he made on the floor of the Rajya Sabha that the BJP, when elected to power, will grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh for a period of ten years will get fulfilled soon.

Naidu, who served as the 13th vice president of India from 2017 to 2022, turned 75 on Monday.

In a post on X, Ramesh said, "Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu-garu is 75 today. While greeting him on this joyous occasion and while recalling our frequent but always friendly clashes, I can only hope that the promise he made on Feb 20, 2014 on the floor of the Rajya Sabha - that the BJP when elected to power will grant special category status to the new state of Andhra Pradesh for a period of ten years-- will get fulfilled soon by the non- biological PM who, incidentally, repeated this promise in the sacred city of Tirupati on April 30 2014, but did nothing about it."

"Venkaiah Naidu-garu is the master of acronyms, alliteration, and ready wit which stings but does not hurt. He created many challenging situations for the Opposition while he was Chairman of the Rajya Sabha but, as they say, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder," the Congress leader said.

Ramesh also shared his farewell speech for Naidu in the Rajya Sabha in 2022.