TDP ministers to resign from Modi govt tomorrow: Andhra CM Naidu

Vijayawada, March 7

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday night asked his party’s two central ministers to resign amid the growing strain in ties between his TDP and the BJP over alleged neglect of the state in the Union budget.

He said his party would come out of the NDA “but party-to-party issue (of ties with the BJP) will be decided later.

The two ministers are—Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary.

Addressing reporters at an emergency meeting, Naidu said, “This is the first step. We will go ahead with other actions later.”   

The Telugu Desam Party chief said he tried to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “courtesy” to inform him about the decision to quit but he did not come on line.

“Arun Jaitley’s statement was the last straw. They are apparently predetermined. They don’t appear to help the state,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Jaitley said his government was committed to meeting all promises made to Andhra Pradesh at the time of carving out of Telengana four years back.

But giving special category status, as demanded by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, to any state apart from those in the North East and three hilly provinces is not constitutionally possible after the implementation of the 14th Finance Commission recommendation, he said.

— PTI