Naidu took the decision to move out of NDA in an emergency teleconference with party politburo members.
Hours after walking out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu castigated the Centre for not keeping the promises made at the time of the bifurcation of the state. For weeks, the Modi government and the TDP bickered over the refusal of special status to Andhra Pradesh, with two party ministers stepping down from the Union Cabinet earlier and TDP quitting from the central coalition today.
Naidu, addressing the state assembly, said: “Bifurcation promises are not yet fulfilled. Had special status been included in the Act (Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014) in the then Lok Sabha, this situation would have not arisen.”
The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister also termed as “reckless” the statements made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that “sentiment cannot increase quantum of funds” is reckless. “Telangana was carved for sentiment. Sentiment is very powerful. Even now you are doing injustice,” Naidu said.
Naidu said he also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the grant of special status to Andhra but to no avail. “TDP has survived many crises and we can sail through this situation. I wrote many letters to the Centre. Recently also, I gave a letter to PM but nothing materialised,” Naidu added. in assembly.
Naidu took the decision to move out of NDA in an emergency teleconference with party politburo members and MPs this morning. Following their ouster from the NDA, TDP leader Thota Narasimham moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government in the Lok Sabha. The no-confidence motion is against injustice meted out to the state, an official communique from the party said.
READ | TDP pulls out of NDA, moves no-confidence motion against Modi govt
Meanwhile, the BJP, hitting out at the TDP over their decision, said it was “inevitable after the party’s mischievous propaganda against the Centre”. The split happened despite the government’s assurance to provide the “monetary equivalent” of a special category state to AP, clearing it would not be able to grant it “special status” as this is restricted, by the 14th Finance Commission, to the three hill states and those in the Northeast. As an additional measure, the Centre has agreed to fund all externally aided projects in Andhra Pradesh in the 90:10 ratio.
Naidu had earlier said, “Time and again, we have told the Centre that Andhra Pradesh needs help because after bifurcation we have been suffering due to revenue loss. I have gone to Delhi 29 times but to no avail. I am anguished over the denial of special status to Andhra Pradesh. What is this humiliation and injustice to the state?”