A little over a week after the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), BJP chief Amit Shah has written a letter to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Accusing Naidu of leaving the NDA for ‘political considerations’, Shah also dubbed the decision unilateral.
“I am writing this letter after the TDP’s decision to quit the NDA family. The decision is both unfortunate as well as unilateral. It is a decision; I am afraid, which will be construed as being guided wholly and solely by political considerations instead of developmental concerns,” the letter states.
“BJP has been a firm believer in the concept of politics of performance and ‘development for all’ has been our guiding principle. Andhra Pradesh figures very prominently on our agenda of national development and it is widely known that the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has left no stone unturned in ensuring the growth and prosperity of the state,” it adds.
The letter is dated March 23, 2018.
“Since the discussion of bifurcating united AP till the present day, it is the BJP that has led the voice of safeguarding the welfare of Telugu people in both the Telugu states. This is in direct contrast to the Congress party, which not only mismanaged the bifurcation but showed zero sensitivity towards the Telugu people,” Amit Shah alleged.
He also asked the TDP to recall that it was BJP that set the agenda during bifurcation talks, when the TDP did not have ‘adequate representation’ in the Parliament.
“Since getting the opportunity to serve at the Centre, the BJP-led NDA government, of which you were an integral constituent, has nurtured the new state of Andhra Pradesh with the spirit that this is the state that suffered at the time of the state’s bifurcation. There is an element of sensitivity and a firm commitment for the cause of AP’s development in the way that the NDA government has worked for the state,” Amit Shah concluded.
On March 8, the TDP had pulled its two Ministers -- Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary -- out of the Narendra Modi government but had stopped short of walking out of the alliance.
The TDP later pulled out of NDA over the latter's refusal to accord special category to Andhra Pradesh and fulfil other commitments made at the time of state's division in 2014.
The party has also moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government in the Lok Sabha. It could not be taken up due to unending uproar in the House.
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