No-confidence motion against NDA: Modi in safe-zone, Opposition backs TDP

TDP exited NDA. Chandrababu Naidu slammed Narendra Modi for ignoring Andhra Pradesh and not giving importance to BJP allies

TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday wrote to BJP president Amit Shah, saying they felt it pointless to continue in NDA as the union government failed to discharge its constitutional responsibilities in implementing 'Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2014' in letter and spirit.

He pointed out that on most of the crucial provisions of the Act, and the assurances given in the Rajya Sabha, the progress was 'tardy, unsatisfactory and disappointing.'

In the four-page letter, the TDP chief, however, did not mention about the 'collusion' between BJP and other parties (YSR Congress and Jana Sena) that he alleged in the morning during a teleconference with party politburo members and MPs.

"Today, a feeling is gaining ground in our state that the BJP is not sensitive to the aspirations of our people."

"We feel the government headed by it is not willing to implement in letter and spirit the provisions in the AP Reorganisation Act and the assurances given by the then Prime Minister in Rajya Sabha," he said.

The TDP chief said his party had joined the alliance in the hope that the state would get fair treatment and expectation that the people would get justice.

"When our being in the alliance doesn't serve that purpose, we feel that it is pointless to continue," he noted.

Naidu said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's statement on March 7 to the media made it clear that the union government was not willing to respect the promises made to the five crore people of Andhra Pradesh.

"On that day, our Union Ministers have exited the Council of Ministers. We expected that before the passage of the Finance Bill, necessary modifications will be made to do justice to the people of AP. But now the Budget was passed and our state has not got justice," the Chief Minister said.

The TDP chief said his party joined the NDA under the leadership of the BJP before the 2014 general elections and fought the elections together in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

"It is a different matter that after the elections you have ended our alliance in Telangana without even the courtesy of formally informing us," Chandrababu said.

He recalled that Narendra Modi, the then Prime Ministerial candidate, in his public meetings in Andhra Pradesh, had emphatically assured the people that he would give special category status as well as help the state build a capital city much better than Delhi.

"We were told that the 14th Finance Commission recommended against granting of SCS to any state. Although this was a contestable interpretation of the Finance Commission's report, we went along with it because we were promised that all facilities and incentives that are enjoyed by SCS states will be extended to us in the form of special assistance, except the nomenclature. Sadly, that was not to be," he said.

"The Union government, we feel, has failed to discharge its constitutional responsibilities in implementing the AP Reorganisation Act," the Chief Minister said.

A no-confidence motion that brought down the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee by just one vote in 1999 haunts the Narendra Modi government. While his mentor Vajpayee lost the confidence of Lok Sabha by one vote, Modi will survive by virtue of having a thumping majority in the House.

"We joined the NDA in the first place only to protect our states interests in the aftermath of bifurcation. We waited for four years with the hope that the Centre will honour all the promises but it only meted out injustice to us, Naidu said.

However, the BJP never cared about TDP, he charged adding while in the opposition, it promised to take care of the state and its needs but once in power, "it completely ignored us."

Coming down on the Prime Minister, he said Modi did not even bother to invite the TDP MPs for a discussion when they were agitating in Parliament for the states rights.

He said Modi showed a lot of concern for AP on the eve of 2014 elections and promised many things, including building the states new capital better than New Delhi.

The chief minister wanted to know what happened to all those promises. "Why was the Centre not co-operating in building Amaravati?" he asked.

The TDP supremo charged both YSR Congress and the Jana Sena, the main rivals for TDP in the state, with colluding with the BJP.

Here are the top 10 developments in the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP's exit from the NDA and its split with the BJP:

1) Naidu holds backstage talks with agitating leaders to end RS impasse.

In a bid to break the Rajya Sabha impasse, Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday spoke to floor leaders of various parties including the TDP, DMK and AIADMK apart from the Leaders of the House and Opposition and urged various parties to stop disrupting the House.

Naidu called the floor leaders of different parties to his chamber after the first adjournment in the day. The agitating members reportedly told the Chairman that they would speak with their leadership and get back.

Naidu also separately spoke to the Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and Leader of the House Arun Jaitley in his effort to end the stalemate in the Rajya Sabha.

2) FM says Centre endlessly waiting for Andhra to revert on special package

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

Jaitley said the modalities of giving the special package were agreed way back in September 2016 but the state government only in January this year suggested a change in route of receiving funds, to which the Centre agreed but has not heard from it ever since.

"A solution has been put on the table. It is for Andhra Pradesh to decide whether they want the resources or they want to make an issue (out of it)," said he.

3) AIADMK dubs TDP as 'opportunistic'

AIADMK leader D. Jayakumar hit back at the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) following their decision to cut ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), alleging that the decision was opportunistic in nature.

"There were issues after the division of Andhra Pradesh. If there were issues all these years, then why weren't they raised? This shows merely an opportunistic nature,"said Jayakumar, a Tamil Nadu Member of Legislative Assembly.

4) Parliament adjourned amid protests till Monday

The proceedings in Parliament were washed out for the second consecutive weeks today due to protests by opposition parties, which also led to the failure of the Lok Sabha to take up notices for no-confidence motion against the NDA government moved by parties from Andhra Pradesh.

While the Lok Sabha proceedings were first adjourned till noon and then for the day, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned straight till 2.30 PM and later for the day with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expressing anguish over the proceedings being paralysed ever since Parliament resumed its budget session on March 5 after a recess.

In the Lok Sabha, the notices for the no-confidence motion, moved for the first time since the nearly four-year rule of the BJP-led alliance, were not taken up as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who said there was no order in the House and adjourned the proceedings for the day amid vociferous protests over various issues.

5) Modi government has enough numbers to defeat no-confidence motion

Notwithstanding the TDP quitting the NDA, the BJP-led government still has a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha having the support of around 315 members and on its own has 274 -- well above the current halfway mark of 270.

After the recent losses in the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar bypolls, the BJP on its own has 274 members and the allies account for 41 members.

They include a sulking Shiv Sena (18), which has still not said which way it will vote in a no-confidence motion by the TDP.

The others are the Lok Janshakti Party (6), Akali Dal (4), Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (3), Apna Dal (2), JD-U (2) and AINRC, JKPDP, NPP, PMK, SDF, Swabhimani Paksha -- all one each.

The AIADMK, which had contested the 2014 polls against the BJP but is generally seen to be its ally, has 37 MPs.

The TDP, which withdrew support to the Modi government and has moved a no-confidence motion, has 16 MPs while the YSRCP, which has also moved a no-confidence motion has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha.

6) Naidu says made 'all efforts for four years' before splitting: Speaking about the decision to part ways with the NDA, TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu told the state Assembly that he took the decision in the interest of Andhra Pradesh and not for selfish reasons. Referring to his party's demand for a special-category status for Andhra Pradesh, he said that he had made all possible efforts for four years and visited Delhi 29 times.  

According to news agencies, Naidu added, "This was Centre's last Budget and there was no mention of AP... we had to pull our ministers out of Cabinet."

Naidu added that bifurcation promises had not been fulfilled yet, news agencies reported. "Had special status been included in the Act in then Lok Sabha then, this situation would have not arisen," added Naidu. 

Describing Arun Jaitley's statement that sentiment cannot increase the quantum of funds as "reckless", Naidu said that Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh for sentiment. "Sentiment is very powerful. Even now you are doing injustice," he added.

7) No-confidence motion not taken up: The two notices for no-confidence motion against the NDA government, moved by the YSR Congress and TDP, could not be taken up today by the Lok Sabha, with Speaker Sumitra Mahajan saying that there was no order in the House. The proceedings were adjourned for the day amid vociferous protests regarding various issues.  

The no-confidence notices were moved by YSR Congress member Y V Subba Reddy and TDP's Thota Narasimham. 

The Lower House proceedings were washed out for a 10th straight day following incessant protests and sloganeering by various parties, including TDP, YSR Congress, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) over multiple issues, including granting special-category status to Andhra Pradesh and the spate of banking sector scams. Congress members were also seen standing at their seats.

Soon after papers and reports were laid down during the Zero Hour, Mahajan said she had received a notice for no-confidence motion. "I am duty-bound to bring it... provided the House is in order," she said amid the din. "I request all of you to go back to your seats," Mahajan told the members protesting in the Well. As the members continued with the protests, the Speaker said since the House is not in order, she was unable to take up the notice and then adjourned the proceedings for the day. 

Speaking to the media on today's proceedings, Congress' Shashi Tharoor said: "When a no-confidence motion is moved, 50 MPs should stand in its support...  50 MPs stood, but Speaker said it cannot be considered as House is not in order. So, I want to ask what does govt fear? They have huge majority in Lok Sabha."  

8) Jaganmohan Reddy says TDP has 'woken up': YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy today said that the TDP had "woken up" to the needs of Andhra Pradesh by moving a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government. His remark came after the TDP split with the NDA following the Centre's refusal to grant the state special-category status. 

Reddy called the TDP's decision a "win for democracy" and asserted that his party would continue to fight for special-category status for Andhra Pradesh. "After 4 years of relentless struggle and fight by YSRCP with people's support for Special Category Status; finally the nation, including @ncbn's TDP wakes up!" Jagan said in a tweet. 

He added that even if it was guided by political compulsion, the TDP had to yet again follow the YSRCP's lead in moving a no-confidence motion against the Centre. "Win for democracy & people of AP. YSRCP will continue to fight for SCS, the rights of the people of AP," Reddy, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh, said in another tweet.

9) CPI-M, AIMIM to support no-confidence motion: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will be supporting the no-confidence motion. CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury tweeted, "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 inexcusable. Its all-round failure and evasion of parliamentary accountability needs to be highlighted."  

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi told news agency ANI: "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."

10) In a unanimous decision, TDP walks out of NDA: Andhra Pradesh's TDP on Friday pulled out of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, a party leader said. TDP Rajya Sabha MP Y S Chowdary told news agencies: "Yes, our party (TDP) has pulled out of the alliance with the NDA." 

The TDP politburo unanimously took the decision to walk out of the alliance during a teleconference with party supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday morning. While the party politburo meeting to decide about snapping ties with the NDA was planned for Friday evening, the formality was completed during the daily teleconference Chandrababu holds with party leaders in the morning.  

TDP moves no-confidence motion against Modi govt: The TDP on Friday moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government over what it sees as injustice meted out to Andhra Pradesh over the special-status category demand. 

Naidu directed TDP MP Thota Narasimham to submit a notice to the Lok Sabha Secretariat in this regard, informed sources said. "This House expresses No-Confidence in the Council of Ministers," Narsimhan later said in a letter to the Lok Sabha Secretary Snehlata Shrivastava. He also wrote: "Under Rule 198 (B) of Chapter XVII of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, I hereby give notice to move the following motion in the House on today dated March 16."

"I request you to include the motion in the revised list of Business for March 16," Narsimhan added.

As news broke of the party's exit, TDP MP Thota Narsimham told news agencies: "Our party will be moving no-confidence motion today (in Parliament)...." 

YSR Congress moves no-confidence motion: Party With political parties in Andhra Pradesh jockeying to position themselves as the sole promoters of the state's interest, particularly in the attempt to secure special-category status for the state, TDP's rival YSR Congress Party has moved a no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha against the Narendra Modi government.  

The no-confidence motion can be accepted only if it has the support of at least 50 members in the House. The YSR Congress has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha. It has appealed to other Opposition parties to support the motion. 

The YSR Congress Party has requested that the motion be part of the listed business of the House for March 16.

Congress to support no-confidence motions: Opposition party Congress will support the no-confidence motion moved against the Centre by the Telugu Desam Party and the YSR Congress Party, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President N Raghuveera Reddy told news agencies today. 

Speaking to news agencies, Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, "We have been supporting special-category status for Andhra Pradesh since the beginning. We want that people of Andhra get justice. When no-confidence motion is moved you have to talk about government's failures, we are contacting a lot of people."   

BJP stands for 'Break Janata Promise': After exiting the NDA, TDP leaders CM Ramesh, Thota Narsimham, and Ravindra Babu said that BJP stood for "break janta promise", news agencies said. The party leaders were addressing the media in the national capital.