The unkept bifurcation promises to Andhra Pradesh, amplified by the meagre Budget allocations from the Centre this year will soon prove the end of the Telugu Desam Party’s alliance with the BJP. According to highly placed sources, the TDP held a legislature party meeting in Amaravati on Tuesday, and a majority of the MLAs and MLCs have voted to come out of the BJP led NDA.
The NDA exit announcement is likely to come very soon, say sources. “Anything can happen in the next two days,” is the word coming out of Chandrababu Naidu’s camp.
The meeting came a day after state Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu's meeting with Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, which failed to secure the Special Category Status for Andhra, as per the AP Reorganisation Act.
And as sources confirm that the break-up is coming soon, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu minced no words as he expressed his displeasure with the Centre while speaking in the state Assembly. Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s statement that he supports Andhra’s demand for Special Category Status, Chandrababu Naidu said in the Assembly on Wednesday, “When the party that made the mistake (bifurcation) itself is agreeing with the need for a special status, why is the Union government not ready?”
“We have lost a lot due to the bifurcation. There is a huge responsibility on the central government to make up for that loss,” he said.
Unhappy with the way the BJP-led government has treated him over the issue, the CM said, “Not once, not twice, I have gone to Delhi 29 times,” seemingly setting the tone for the inevitable divorce.
Meanwhile, the TDP MPs are keeping up the pressure in Parliament by constantly protesting both inside and outside the two Houses.
By coming out of the alliance, the TDP will lose two ministry seats – Ashok Gajapathi Raju is the Minister for Civil Aviation, and YS Chowdary is the MoS for Science and Technology.
However, the party believes that if they do not leave the NDA at this state, their standing in Andhra Pradesh will be untenable.
The decision has come in the face of the Centre not fulfilling bifurcation promises, especially of special category status for the state.