My fight is against PM Modi, Centre: N. Chandrababu Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said his fight is against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government.

Taking part in B.R. Ambedkar's Jayanti at Ainavolu village in Guntur district, the chief minister announced that he will observe hunger strike on April 20 against the Centre's non-cooperation over the demand of the special category status for the state.

He even accused the prime minister of the washout of the Parliament.

"April 20 is my birthday and on that day I will sit on hunger strike from dusk till dawn. A few days back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also observed a hunger strike for the washout of the parliament session, but in reality, he is the reason for the non-functioning of the Parliament," he added.

He further said the TDP was a key factor in the formation of the government at the Centre in past, and will always be a crucial player in near future.

The Andhra Pradesh politicians have been demanding SCS for Andhra Pradesh, which was promised by the Center during the bifurcation of the state in 2014.

Ahead of the 2014 general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) forged an alliance with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with the promise to grant the status to the state.

The Andhra ruling party and the BJP-ruled Centre have been at the loggerheads ever since the announcement of 2018-19 Union Budget.

The TDP alleged that the Centre ignored the demand of the status to Andhra Pradesh in the budget, while the latter brushed aside the charges.

On March 16, the ruling TDP reached a deadlock with BJP over this issue and ultimately quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition.