BJP President Amit Shah on Friday spoke with Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu
In an attempt to pacify the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ahead of Parliament session, BJP President Amit Shah on Friday spoke with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu over the phone and invited him for talks over a special package to the state.
The call came hours after the TDP said it will "step-by-step escalate" its fight inside Parliament till the Centre addresses Andhra Pradesh's concerns related to the implementation of the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
The Budget session of the Parliament resumes on March 5.
The BJP chief, in his call to Naidu, invited him for talks over the commitments made at the time of bifurcation of the state. Naidu conveyed to Shah that he would a delegation led by the central minister Sujana Chowdary, IANS reported.
Naidu made it clear to Shah that there would be no compromise on the commitments made to Andhra during the bifurcation in 2014. He reportedly told Shah that TDP's fight was not against the BJP but for the justice to the state.
After a four-hour long meeting chaired by Naidu on Friday, TDP leaders said the party will also launch a legal battle against the Centre in the Supreme Court to get the provisions of the Reorganisation Act, and assurances given by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha, fully implemented.
"We will not reveal right now what we will do but we will escalate our fight step-by-step till our concerns related to 19 items, including according special category status (SCS) to the state, are specifically addressed." "As a first step, we will write a letter to all parties in Parliament explaining why we have taken the agitation mode and will seek their support to get the promises made in the Reorganisation Act fulfilled," TDP MPs Thota Narasimham, Jayadev Galla and K Rammohan Naidu said.
The MPs said they have raised the demand for SCS afresh because the Centre had failed to implement the special assistance measures it announced in September 2016 in lieu of granting special status.
"There are 19 issues in all, including the SCS. We want all of them fully implemented. We will see if certain amendments favourable to AP are tabled in Parliament when the Budget session resumes. Otherwise, we will oppose the Finance Bill 2018-19," the TDP MPs asserted.
The party would also take up a legal battle against the Centre in Supreme Court to get the promises made in the Act honoured, they added. "We will use all options," the MPs said.
"The Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party will write letters to the presidents of all political parties as well as floor leaders in Parliament explaining why, despite being a partner in the coalition government, the TDP has chosen to disrupt Parliament," the TDP lawmakers said.
"We will remind them of the promises made in the Reorganisation Act as well as the assurances given by the then Prime Minister in February 2014. This has already become a national issue and we will seek the support of all parties in our fight for justice for AP," they added.
They, however, remained evasive when asked if the TDP would move a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government.
Asked about the meeting TDP MP Rammohan Naidu and AP Planning Board vice-chairman C Kutumba Rao had with BJP chief Amit Shah in New Delhi yesterday, the MPs said Shah "just took a briefing" on the contentious issues.
"There has been no response from him," the MPs pointed out.
(With PTI inputs)
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