On March 7th, 2018, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have severed ties. But this has caused further problems.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said two ministers of his TDP will quit the central government on Thursday. The tense ties between allies TDP and ruling BJP have reached a flashpoint after Naidu’s failed bid to secure special category status for Andhra Pradesh.
Politicians in the TDP say the party had weighed several options, such as pulling out of the NDA, MPs resigning and ministers quitting the government, and it was decided that the divorce should be a step-by-step process. If their demand is not met even after pulling out the ministers, the TDP will consider quitting the ruling coalition.
Two BJP ministers quit from the Andhra cabinet in a reciprocal move on Thursday. The BJP, meanwhile, has also rejected Naidu’s charge that the central government led by Narendra Modi neglected Andhra, saying the Centre not only fulfilled all its obligations but also went out of its way to help the state.
READ ALSO: Andhra Pradesh betrayed by BJP; TDP to sever ties with Modi government
Here are the LIVE UPDATES:
1:30pm: TDP MP and Union aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju says he and his colleague YS Chowdary have sought an appointment with PM Modi for handing over their resignations. Speaking about the demand for special status to Andhra, he says: “When the state of Andhra Pradesh was made, the people did not want to be treated as a residue material. There were some assurances made. UPA govt made some commitments, now these commitments are the questions,” news agency reports.
1:02pm: TDP MP CM Ramesh arrives at Parliament wearing a t-shirt with the six demands printed on it.
12:48pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2pm.
12:20 pm: YSR?Congress chief YS?Jaganmohan Reddy says his party will support whichever party promises the state special category status, news agency reports.
12:15 pm: Lok Sabha adjourns for the day.
11:45 am: Lok Sabha adjourned till noon amid uproar over various issues, including TDP?parliamentarians demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.
11:20 am: TDP leader Jayadev Galla says, “Other parties who are sympathetic to our cause have also started protesting on various issues but in support of us. Next step is coming out of the cabinet, after FM Jaitley’s statement yesterday,” according to the agency.
11:15 am: “What Arun Jaitley spoke yesterday is not good. You are holding the hand of the North Eastern states but not Andhra Pradesh’s. You are giving industrial incentives to them, not to Andhra Pradesh. Why this discrimination?” the chief minister says.
11 am: Andhra CM Naidu addresses the assembly. “Our ministers in the central cabinet and BJP ministers in our cabinet have resigned. However, these ministers worked good in the state. They brought considerable reforms in their departments. I thank them for their services,” the news agency reports.
10:47 am: TDP leader Srinivas says the party’s central government ministers will resign today. “No one from AP was willing to bifurcate, all resources related to the generation of employment were in Hyderabad; bifurcation was not done in a scientific way and injustice done with the Andhra Pradesh,” he tells the agency.
10:41 am: TDP MPs protest inside Parliament premises over non-granting of special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
10:35 am: Congress’ Renuka Chowdhury dismisses talk of crisis. “What crisis? This is like match-fixing. They are still pretending to withdraw (from the alliance). What would happen if two ministers resign? If you are serious do it seriously,” she said.
10:28 am: Union minister Ramdas Athawale says Andhra CM Naidu must think his decision through. “Want to appeal to AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu that he must think about this decision once again for development of people of AP they should stay with NDA. Whenever you seek time from PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah they meet. If all states demand special status it would become very difficult for the government,” he said.
10:24 am: TDP MPs YS Chowdary and Ashok Gajapathi Raju are expected to give a statement in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively today.
10:20 am: Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande says the current TDP-BJP tussle is due to the BJP’s overconfidence. “Two ministers from TDP are about to resign, BJP should’ve thought about it. Former NDA leaders had kept the alliance together. Now it’s overconfident. 2019 will be challenging for BJP,” agency quotes her saying.
10:15 am: “When we’re asking for our right it can’t be rejected. The alliance is still under negotiation. We don’t want to make it a political fight between TDP-BJP, but a fight for the state,” news agency quotes TDP MP Ram Mohan Naidu as saying.
10:08 am: BJP ministers Dr. Kamineni Srinivas and Pydikondala Manikyala Rao resign from the Andhra Pradesh cabinet to CM Naidu in Amaravati. Srinivas was the minister for health and Rao was the endowments minister.
10 am: Shiv Sena says the developments in Andhra are as expected. “Other parties have walked out of NDA too. Allies no longer have good relations with BJP. Gradually their grudges will spill out and eventually they’ll walk out of the alliance,” news agency quotes Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut.
9:30 am: BJP state legislator PVN Madhav says, “Decided that our ministers will resign from TDP Cabinet. We will be going to the people and telling them all the things Centre has done for the state. Since independence till date, no state has received as many favors as that was given to Andhra Pradesh,” according to the agency.
9:10 am: TDP’s YS Chowdary, junior minister for science and technology, says, “It is not a good move but unfortunately due to unavoidable circumstances we’re stepping down as ministers. Our President (Naidu) said that we will continue to be a partner of NDA. We are most likely to meet PM also,” according to the agency.
8:37 am: BJP ministers are expected to skip the Andhra cabinet meeting to be held by CM Chandrababu Naidu to approve the state budget.
8:35 am: Andhra assembly session to begin at 9 am.
8:30 am: BJP ministers in the Andhra cabinet – Kamineni Srinivas and P Manikyalal Rao – are expected to submit their resignations to the Speaker.
6:30 am: Congress leader Ahmed Patel reacts to CM Naidu’s remark that he couldn’t speak to PM Modi directly. “It is very unfortunate that the Prime Minister couldn’t take the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s phone call on such an important matter. This doesn’t augur well for the interest of the people of Andhra Pradesh,” a news agency quoted him as saying.
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