Alliance with BJP still on, but will fight for Andhra's rights: TDP

AMARAVATI: TDP, which pulled out of the Modi government earlier this week, on Saturday said its alliance with the BJP was still on, though it was 'severely hurt' by finance minister Arun Jaitley's remarks on assistance to Andhra Pradesh.

It also described as 'unethical' the demand by YSR Congress asking the TDP to move a no-confidence motion against the NDA government at the Centre.

State finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu told reporters that TDP has decided to 'expose' the Centre on what it has done or not done to the state — as promised in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 — by putting out relevant facts and figures before the people.

He said this after a meeting Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu held with him, senior minister K Kala Venkata Rao and others.

For the record, Yanamala said TDP's alliance with BJP was 'still on'.

"Withdrawing from the Central government was the first step ... we have to see what the second step will be. Our alliance is on but we will still fight (for securing the state's rights from the Centre)," he said.

"We are hurt severely by Jaitley's remarks. Not only us, entire people of AP are hurt, except (leader of opposition) YS Jaganmohan Reddy and the like," the minister added.

Asked about the YSR Congress' demand that TDP either move or support a no-confidence motion against the Modi government, he said that moving such a motion against an ally would be 'unethical'.

"We are an alliance party, we have some ethical values. Moving or supporting a no-confidence motion will be unethical," he noted, adding that was the difference between TDP and YSRC.

Yanamala and Rao lashed out at the YSRC chief, saying he was only trying to get the criminal cases against him quashed by planning to go under the BJP umbrella.

The TDP ministers alleged that YSR Congress had mortgaged the interests of the state. "Their talk about a no-confidence motion is ridiculous," they said.

Meanwhile, a TDP source said the party would take up campaigns from the mandal level by publishing pamphlets and other material, listing facts and figures on the assistance the Centre rendered to the state since bifurcation.

"We will tell people why we could not achieve more progress in these four years despite best efforts," the source added.