Hyderabad: A YSR Congress legislator stunned Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday after the CM announced a special Sankranti allowance for poor families in the state.

Mr Naidu stated that commodities like palm oil, jaggery, pulses, wheat and ghee will be provided free of cost on the eve of Sankranti.

After the CM’s speech, YSRC legislator P. Rajanna Dora asked why such an allowance was not made for Christians with Christmas around the corner. A red-faced Mr Naidu had no response.

Mr Naidu had said that Sankranti was an important festival in South India. “Poor people can’t celebrate festivals, only the rich can. We want justice for everybody. It will place an additional burden of Rs 280 crore, but we want everyone to celebrate the festival,” said Mr Naidu.

Mr Dora’s question, however, left the Chief Minister looking stunned and with no answer and people celebrate it by cooking sweet dishes and celebrating with family and friends.

To enable white ration card holders in the state to celebrate the festival, he said the government will provide half kilogram of yellow lentils, half kilogram of jaggery, 100 grams of ghee, wheat and chickpeas free of cost through PDS outlets.

“Poor people can't celebrate festivals, only the rich can. We want justice for everybody. We want to eradicate poverty.

It will place an additional burden of Rs 280 crore, but we want everyone to celebrate the festival," said Mr Naidu. He announced that 5kgs of rice will be given to every person of every poor family from April 1, to a rousing applause from the ruling party members.

After the CM's announcement, as Environment minister Bojjala Gopalkrishna Reddy began reading the resolution on Kolleru Lake he was interrupted by Rajanna Dora who stood up and asked Naidu if he didn't want poor Christians to celebrate Christmas.

A stunned Naidu looked at him offering no answer while a confused Gopalkrishna Reddy was left wondering whether to continue or sit down and allow the Chief Minister to reply. After a few minutes, he continued with reading the resolution as the YSRC legislator took his seat.