Ready to do more than special status for Andhra Pradesh: BJP

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday asserted that the party was ready to do more than just give special status to Andhra Pradesh.

The BJP’s statement comes a day after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu pulled out Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the NDA alliance.

“We will explain to the people of Andhra Pradesh the things that we have done for them in last four years and things we will do. We are ready to do more than the special status,” BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav told reporters.

“We will pass a resolution in which we will explain to the people of Andhra Pradesh our stand on the issue raised by Andhra chief minister. We are as much committed to the people as him. We have done so much in the last four years,” Madhav added.

On being questioned if TDP would come back to the NDA, Madhav stated that “You will have to ask that to the Telugu Desam Party.”

Madhav was speaking to media here after the meeting of Andhra leaders with BJP president Amit Shah.

The meeting was held a day after TDP quit the alliance and initiated a motion of no-confidence against the NDA-led government in the Parliament.

The tensions between the two parties have been brewing over non-issuance of the special category status to the state.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday said the Centre was committed on giving Andhra Pradesh a special package equivalent to a special category state and that it had been endlessly waiting for the state government to revert on a mechanism of receiving it.