AP CM Naidu to stage one-day protest in Delhi during Budget session

Naidu’s protest is aimed at highlighting the alleged injustice done to AP by the Centre by failing to award the Special Category Status (SCS) for the state. The decision to stage the protest was taken during the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) parliamentary meet on Saturday.

TDP MPs and state ministers will also join the AP CM in the one-day protest. The venue for the protest is yet to be decided.  However, it’s unclear if opposition leaders will join Naidu in his protest, reported The New Indian Express.

At the party meet, Naidu instructed his MPs to raise the issue of EVM hacking in the Parliament and push for a return to ballot papers for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“The Election Commission (EC) is only a referee. Enhancing faith in the public is a democracy and they should be not pressurised towards what they do not believe in,” said the AP Chief Minister to the media.

Naidu alleged that the Narendra Modi led NDA government was diluting the Navaratna companies in the state and that the Centre was yet to pay Rs 1.16 lakh crore to AP. Naidu instructed his MPs to hand over state government reports on pending dues to the respective union ministries. He also instructed them to share with the Centre the reports on the impact of Andhra Pradesh bifurcation and special category status by Lok Satta party chief Jayaprakash Narayan and Joint Fact-Finding Committee by Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan.

“Our leader has always fought for the cause of Telugus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been vindictive towards Andhra Pradesh due to unknown reasons. The entire country should know the injustice the Centre has done to the state,” TDP spokesperson Lana Dinakar said to Deccan Chronicle.