Combative Naidu issues veiled threat to BJP over central funds to AP

Suresh Dharur

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, February 17 

In a veiled threat to his ally BJP over the alleged “injustice” to Andhra Pradesh in the allocation of central funds, the Telugu Desam Party supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said he was prepared for any “sacrifice” to protect the interests of the state.

“We will not sit quiet if the injustice continues. I demand that the Prime Minister and the central ministers should, at least now, correct the injustice and fulfil the promises made in the AP bifurcation act,” he said.

The Chief Minister was addressing a public meeting at Kakani in Guntur district after laying the foundation stone for a university building complex.

Naidu’s assertion comes in the backdrop of growing friction between BJP and its biggest southern ally over the Centre’s failure to “handhold” AP grappling with post-bifurcation blues.

Special package in lieu of Special Category Status, funds for building the new capital city Amaravati, completion of Polavaram irrigation project and creation of a separate railway zone for Visakhapatnam are some of the key demands of the TDP. The ruling party is facing the flak from the opposition for failing to extract funds from the Centre despite being a key political ally.

Stating that his party went with the BJP in the previous general elections for the “sake of doing justice to the state”, Naidu lamented that despite his repeated pleas, the Centre had meted out injustice to the state.  

“I visited Delhi 29 times and met everyone seeking justice. But, injustice is still continuing. The central budget has failed to make proper allocations to us. Even in the last budget, they did injustice to AP,” he recalled.

Asserting that there would be no compromise on the issue of protecting the state’s interests, he demanded that the Centre fulfil all the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act and assurances given in the Rajya Sabha.

“On behalf of 5 crore people of AP, I am demanding the central government to do justice to the state. It should handhold AP until it gets on par with other southern states in terms of per-capita income,” the Chief Minister said.

Asserting that he was ready for a debate on the actual quantum of central funds given to AP over the last three years, Naidu said, “I am prepared for any sacrifice if injustice is done to the people of my state.”

The TDP chief’s combative posturing comes against the backdrop of growing resentment within the party over the Centre’s failure to meet the demands of the state. There is also speculation in political circles that the TDP may opt for walking out of the NDA over the issue ahead of the 2019 elections.

The TDP, with 15 MPs from AP and one from Telangana, is the biggest ally of the BJP in the South. The party’s demand for granting Special Category Status for AP was earlier rejected outright by the Centre.