Talks about continuing in NDA
Agencies, New Delhi
The state level political compulsions seemed to have forced the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) decision to pull out of the NDA government as in fast paced developments two TDP Ministers resigned from the Union Cabinet on Thursday but they continued to repose faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP – led alliance.
“We strongly believe that we will not stop trying… We will continue to try and the 16th Lok Sabha is our deadline”, the outgoing Minister of State for Science and Technology YS Chowdary told reporters minutes after his meeting with the Prime Minister along with his colleague and Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju here.
Commenting on Prime Minister’s reaction on their decision to resign, Mr Chowdary said the meeting was very cordial wherein Mr Modi told them that “I am with the state of Andhra Pradesh and for the people of Andhra Pradesh I will serve”.
He said, “Prime Minister told us it was unfortunate, because of all us have been working well together”. To a question about TDP’s future course of action, he said, “the way forward is… we have to ensure that whatever the commitments given and mentioned in the AP Reorganisation Act as well as the promises given by the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the floor of the Rajya Sabha… we have to pursue. We have been doing that”.
Mr Chowdary, who is the leader of the TDP Parliamentary party further said as TDP members will not be now part of the Ministry, “we will be in a better position” to fight for the state.
Mr Raju was critical of the manner the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation bill was passed during the UPA regime- “with the support of the BJP”, but said, “nobody is asking to take the clock back”.
“What we are requesting (the central government) to honour of the assurance given to the people”, he said. Both the leaders evaded direct reply on whether the protest by TDP members in both houses will continue, but Mr Raju maintained the bill that bifurcated united Andhra Pradesh was also passed amid pandemonium scenes.
Earlier Prime Minister also spoke to TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu over phone, but both the leaders feigned ignorance of what transpired between the two. Mr Chowdary flayed the Congress-led regime saying “the bill was prepared in most unscientific manner and the manner in which the bill was passed cannot be also called a democratic process”.
He said the TDP has no option but to “reconcile” to the inevitability and the decision to join NDA was with the hope that “there would be an extra hand-holding which partly the centre has given”.Mr Chowdary said, “it is not fair on my part to say that nothing has been done at all”, and maintained that there were so many areas where lot of work was done.
“But unfortunately major emotional and sentimental issue of Special Category Status is not addressed well in time”, he said adding “at least the special package should have been implemented immediately by putting clear cut deadline and timeline”.
Lauding Prime Minister, the outgoing Civil Aviation Minister Mr Raju said, “Mr Modi has given us a good team in the Civil Aviation Ministry and we could take the Indian aviation sector to the fastest growing in the world”.
