Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party pulls out of NDA over Andhra Pradesh Special status row, moves no-confidence motion against Modi government

In what comes as a major blow to the BJP government at the Centre, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Friday decided to quit the NDA, days after two of its ministers resigned from the Modi government following the Centre's refusal to grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.

The party will also move a no-confidence motion against the Modi government over the injustice meted out to the state, said an official communique. The Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party will issue a notice to move the no-trust motion today, it further added.

Though the party politburo meeting to decide over quitting the NDA was planned for this evening, the formality was completed during the daily tele-conference CM Chandrababu holds with party leaders in the morning, reported PTI.

The TDP will write a letter to BJP president Amit Shah and also other constituents of the NDA informing its decision and the reasons for it, the release said.

TDP's no-trust motion

Letter of TDP MP Thota Narasimhan to Lok Sabha Secretary-General for moving motion on 'No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers' in the House. pic.twitter.com/Zwg5qge3Sw

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2018

TDP leaders' address in Delhi

Addressing the media in Delhi after exiting NDA, TDP leaders CM Ramesh, Thota Narsimhan, Ravindra Babu and others said, "BJP means 'Break Janta Promise'. We will be moving a no-confidence motion on Monday. Earlier in the day, Andhra Pradesh minister K S Jawahar told ANI, "BJP has cheated Telugu people, this time also they have succeeded in doing so, we will be moving a no-confidence motion."

READ: TDP moves no-confidence motion in Parliament after Chandrababu Naidu exits NDA

Congress to support TDP's no-trust motion

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president N Raghuveera Reddy has extended his support to the no-confidence motion against the Centre by Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress Party, reported ANI. "We have been supporting Special Category Status for AP since the beginning. We want that people of AP to get justice. When no-confidence motion is moved you have to talk about government's failures, we contacting a lot of people," senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

BJP reactions

BJP national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao says, "TDP quitting NDA is its loss. It will not affect BJP in any way." Reacting to the exiting, former cabinet minister Y S Chowdary told ANI, "It is unfortunate. We tried our best to be together but the present government ignored the sentiments & emotions of people of Andhra Pradesh, Emergency politburo was conducted in which TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu took decision to withdraw from NDA."

AIADMK undecided

With the third largest number of members (37) in the Lok Sabha after the BJP and Congress, the AIADMK was undecided whether to support or oppose the motion, said a senior party leader. "The party will take a decision on the issue and one cannot comment on that now," the AIADMK leader told IANS preferring anonymity.

Asad's MIM extends support

MIM party will support the No Confidence motion in Lok Sabha today not only for failure on part of Modi Govt to implement State Reorganisation Act but failure to fulfill their promise to provide employment to youth & for injustice to Muslim Women and Minorities: Asaduddin Owaisi

Didi, CPI(M) welcome TDP's decision

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while welcoming TDP's decision said, "The current situation warrants such action to save the country from disaster. I appeal to all political parties in the Opposition to work closely together against atrocities, economic calamity and political instability."

CPI(M) supports the no-confidence motion being brought against the BJP government. Its betrayal of the promise of special status for Andhra Pradesh is inexcuseable. Its all-round failure and evasion of parliamentary accountability needs to be highlighted.

— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) March 16, 2018

YSR Congress' notice for no-trust motion

The YSR Congress yesterday gave a notice for moving a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led NDA government following the Centre's refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh and found unlikely support from its arch-rival Telugu Desam Party.

Letter of YSR Congress Party MP YV Subba Reddy to Lok Sabha Secretary-General for moving motion on 'No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers' in the house. pic.twitter.com/FADQCKVOig

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2018

TDP backs Jagan

Later, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also said the TDP would support a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government at the Centre in the interest of Andhra Pradesh.

"We will support a no-confidence motion, whoever moves it. We will be ready for that and our 16-17 MPs will fully support that. We will cooperate with whoever fights for the state's rights," Naidu told the state Assembly.

Chandrababu slams PM Modi

On Wednesday, the Andhra Pradesh CM accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of "instigating other people" against him and his party TDP. Naidu's outburst capped a day of strong comments by him targeting BJP and the Prime Minister allegedly for being behind the corruption charges levelled by Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan against him and his son.

"Since it could not do anything to us on its own, the BJP is instigating others and try to interfere in Andhra politics like it did in Tamil Nadu. Should I get scared like a coward if Narendra Modi or NDA government instigate others against us?" Naidu said at a public meeting.

TDP lashes out at Pawan Kalyan

However, the TDP ministers on Thursday made an all-out attack against Pawan Kalyan alleging that the actor-turned-politician was targeting the TDP at the behest of the BJP.

Arun Jaitley rejects special status to AP

The party’s initial strategy was to wait for the BJP to make a move so that it could then cite it as a reason and break ties. It pulled out of the NDA government within hours after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s press conference wherein he had made it amply clear that the Andhra Pradesh government’s demands for a special status were unreasonable.

TDP pulls out its central ministers

Last week the TDP pulled its two ministers out of the central government but had stopped short of walking out of the alliance. P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary in the Modi cabinet resigned a day after Naidu had announced his party's decision to walk out of the NDA. Following the resignation, BJP ministers Kamineni Srinivas and P Manikyala Rao also quit from the state cabinet on Thursday morning.

(With ENS and agency inputs)