Hyderabad: TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu has said that opposition leader Jagan Mohan Reddy is waiting for TDP to quit NDA so that they can join the alliance with BJP and his ‘no-confidence motion’ is only a ploy towards achieving that goal.
Naidu refuted allegations levelled by the Centre and said that his government has taken up an uncompromising fight and is making all efforts to push the BJP-led Centre to fulfill the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act at the time of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Hitting out at YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy for doing politics over the issue of Andhra’s Special Status, Naidu said, "YSR Congress is waiting for us to come out of NDA so that they can join the NDA. For us, politics is not important. Development of the state and what benefits the state are on top of our priority list."
"The no-confidence motion that Jagan Reddy is taking about has no meaning. We do not have a majority, so we will lose anyway. If at all we bring no-confidence motion, we will have to engage other parties and bring everyone together. But Jagan, who does not understand things, is asking us to resign and come out of the Parliament. So if we just walk out of the Parliament, the situation will still not change. We are raising our voice in the Parliament so that the promises which were made on the floor of the same House, are honoured. Instead of targeting me, Jagan should question BJP and PM Modi", Naidu said on Monday.
Defending his stand of settling for Modi government’s special assistance package, Naidu said, "The Centre in 2016 had specified that the ‘package’ will be equivalent to ‘status’ or what the state would have otherwise got. The special package had the same terms and conditions and that is why we had agreed but we never compromised on the commitments that were made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Moreover, I am asking the Centre to handhold Andhra Pradesh until it gets on par with other south Indian states."
Questioning the state BJP leaders for misleading people, Naidu asked, "The state BJP leaders are talking about the central funds given to state. But that is given to every state. You should specifically answer what all promises you have fulfilled so far that were made in the Parliament?"
Chandrababu Naidu even questioned the “double standards” of opposition Congress.
"Congress say they are supporting our fight. But it was the Congress that had divided the state and weakened us in the process. In Parliament, only KVP Ramchander Rao had raised a protest and when he was suspended, nobody objected. What should we expect from such party? I appeal to Congress to change their attitude and it was because of their attitude that they were taught a lesson," he said.
Chandrababu Naidu plans to call a meeting after February 26 and invite all political parties and civil organisations fighting for the Andhra Pradesh Special Status to discuss how the fight can be taken forward in a collective manner.
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