TDP to bring pressure on Modi government over special status

With the Centre ruling out special status for Andhra Pradesh, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is gearing up to mount pressure on the BJP-led NDA government.

The TDP, a partner in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, will evolve its strategy at a crucial meeting on Sunday.

TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has called a meeting of party MPs and senior leaders in Vijayawada.

The meeting will discuss future course of action to bring pressure on the central government. The TDP will decide the strategy to be adopted during the ongoing Parliament session.

The TDP is unhappy over the Centre not fulfilling the commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and ensuring desired support to the state in the aftermath of bifurcation.

Meanwhile, two MPs from TDP on Saturday said they were ready to resign. Murali Mohan and K. Nani, both members of Lok Sabha, said they were ready to make any sacrifice to help the state achieve special status.

Murali Mohan, an actor-turned-politician who represents Rajahmundry constituency, said if an agitation can help in achieving the goal, he would be in the forefront of it.

Nani, Lok Sabha member from Vijayawada, said the state's interests were more important for TDP than the two cabinet berths it has at the Centre.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely had said in Rajya Sabha on Friday that special status would not be granted to Andhra Pradesh but the Centre would "handhold" the state until it became economically stable.

Chandrababu Naidu expressed his disappointment over the stand taken by the Centre, saying injustice had been done to Andhra. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been indifferent over the issue and had done nothing except blaming the Congress party for the state's bifurcation.

--IANS

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