TDP minsiters to resign from NDA Cabinet over special status to Andhra Pradesh

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has decided to pull out two its ministers - A. Gajapathi Raju and Y.S. Chowdary - from the Union Cabinet. Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP chief, made the announcement over Centre's denial to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Raju holds the office of Union Aviation Minister, and Chowdary is the Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences. Both ministers may furnish their resignations after Naidu talks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. "This is the first step. We will go ahead with other actions later," PTI quoted Naidu.

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley assured that funding equivalent to special category states will be given to Andhra Pradesh, instead of granting the status to the state. He said that the 14th finance commission does not permit special category status to a state except the north-eastern states and the three hilly provinces.

Naidu has blamed the Centre of not fulfiling the promises made to Andhra Pradesh under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. He said that Andhra Pradesh has huge revenue deficit after Telangana was carved out of the southern state. "I would like to see how BJP will react now," he said during a press meet on Wednesday night. Further course of action will be chalked out based on Centre's reaction.