Chandrababu Naidu made U-turn on special status: BJP

The BJP today accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu of making a U-turn on the issue of special category status and misleading the people of his state to achieve his political objectives.

A day after the TDP-piloted no-confidence motion against the government was defeated in the Lok Sabha, BJP's national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said Naidu "caused a big harm to the unity and brotherhood among the Telugu people as was evident from the argument between the MPs of Andhra Pradesh and Teleganga during the debate on the trust vote".

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also referred in his speech during the debate on the trust vote to Naidu's change in position on the issue of special status.

"You take a position and you conveniently change it at the drop of a hat. If you don't want to be called a U-turn chief minister, would you like to be called a flip-flop chief minister," Rao told reporters.

He said that Naidu, whose party was earlier part of the NDA, had passed a resolution in the legislative council of Andhra Pradesh, thanking the prime minister and other leaders for the announcement of a special assistance package for the state in lieu of the special category status.

"You had hailed the resolution on the floor of the house and also passed a resolution at the party's national annual meeting," Rao said.

He said that Naidu in a letter had stated that his state would get Rs 16,447 crore over a five-year period under the special assistance package but has now made a U-turn on the issue may be to "fight the political opponents in the state".

The TDP had walked out of the NDA government in March this year on the issue of special category status.

Rao also accused him of misleading the public of Andhra Pradesh that the special category status would bring industrial incentives and tax benefits, "which is not the case". He also accused other parties in the state of misleading people.

"What he (Naidu) is doing is deliberate deception," Rao added.

He said the behaviour of the TDP MPs in the Lok Sabha yesterday during the debate was "shameful" as they continued to disrupt the prime minister's speech.