Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu visited the premises of Parliament on Tuesday as part of his trip to New Delhi to garner support for the demand for Special Category Status (SCS) to his state.
Naidu arrived on Tuesday morning and bent down to touch the steps of the Parliament building as he entered the premises accompanied by all his MPs. He had earlier offered floral tributes to the Mahatma Gandhi statue opposite the entrance.
The Andhra Chief Minister met with several top leaders, from Sharad Pawar of the NCP to former Jammu and Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah. He also met BJP MP Hema Malini, besides TMC MP Derek O’Brien.
Some of the other leaders he met include Harsimrat Kaur Badal of Shiromani Akali Dal and Supriya Sule of the NCP.
Criticising the failure of the Centre in delivering justice to Andhra Pradesh, Naidu explained to the leaders that the assurances made under the AP Reorganisation Act were not being fulfilled.
A detailed booklet on the assurances made on the floor of the Parliament by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also distributed.
Naidu’s move comes after the TDP pulled out of the NDA government on March 16 and, along with the YSRCP, attempts to move a no-confidence motion against the government over its refusal to accord SCS. However, the motion could not be taken up by the Lok Sabha Speaker throughout the last two weeks due to protests by AIADMK members over the issue of the Cauvery board.
Naidu is also learnt to have asked the MPs to cooperate with the TDP, so that the no-confidence motion can be brought up for discussion.
Taking the gloves off last week, Naidu lashed out directly at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state’s Legislative Assembly, as he played clips of speeches that Modi had given in the state before the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
In a meeting in Tirupati in 2014, Modi had assured the people that the BJP government, if voted to power, would not only grant SCS but also extend it.
Another video played by Naidu showed Modi attending the foundation stone laying ceremony at Amaravati in 2015, where the PM assured the public that all the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 would be fulfilled by the Central government.
“As the CM of this state, I am asking questions to the PM and demand answers from him. I’m demanding answers from you. I’m asking for justice from you. The BJP is cheating the state for temporary political benefit, but this kind of strategy is harmful to the country. Instead of taking up the no-confidence motion, Parliament is being adjourned every day, which is undemocratic. Instead of holding a free and fair discussion, the BJP is resorting to tricks to not allow the no-confidence motion,” Naidu told the Assembly after the clips were played.