Jaitley says no special status to AP but proposes monetary equivalent

New Delhi, March 07: Facing threats from ally TDP, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday ruled out granting Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh but said the government was ready to give monetary equivalent of the same in the form of a special package.

The Telugu Desam Party has threatened to quit the NDA alliance if the state is not granted the special status as was promised when the state was bifurcated in 2014.

"Government is ready to give monetary equivalent of the special status to Andhra Pradesh. Instead of calling it special status, we're calling it a special package," Jaitley told media persons.