Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and questioned his decision to observe a fast to protest the washout of Parliament’s budget session.
Modi will observe a day-long fast on April 12 along BJP MPs including party President Amit Shah to protest against the washout of the second part of Parliament's budget session due to continuous disruptions, which the BJP blamed on the Congress.
Speaking to reporters, Naidu alleged that it was the Centre itself which caused the disruption, as it 'provoked' the AIADMK over the Cauvery issue and did not constitute a Cauvery Management Board for fear of losing votes in the upcoming Karnataka elections.
"They government provoked the AIADMK and ensured that the MPs of the ruling party in Tamil Nadu stormed the well of the Lok Sabha and thereby did not allow the TDP to raise its demand (for granting a special category status to Andhra Pradesh). How atrocious… And now he (Modi) says he will observe a protest… seeking to portray the opposition as wrong and he as right. Is it correct? Is it justified?” the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief asked.
He also questioned the BJP's suspected motive to ally with the YSRCP, without taking any names.
“They wanted to gain control over the state by weakening the allies. But the TDP is a very strong party. That is why they have started looking for weak allies. They are joining hands with a party which is tainted with corruption and targeting us,” he alleged.
Warning Modi not to 'provoke people of different states and foment hatred', Naidu also reminded the Prime Minister of the promises he made in 2014, including granting Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh.
"The prime minister himself is responsible for the situation. He assured us on SCS and even mentioned it in their election manifesto. Now you ignore all that. As Centre, you can't declare war against a state. You can't play with the sentiments of the people," Naidu was quoted as saying.
The TDP plans to hold a public meeting in Tirupati on April 30, to highlight how Modi had 'failed on his promises that he had made exactly four years ago on that day.
The TDP walked out of the BJP-led ruling coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in March this year, and also moved a no-confidence motion against the Centre in Parliament, which could not be taken up due to ruckus by AIADMK members.