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Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu directs two Union Ministers to resign from Narendra Modi cabinet

Earlier on Wednesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tried to pacify Telugu Desam Party (TDP) by saying the Centre is committed to giving Andhra Pradesh financial assistance equivalent to a special category state.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has directed Telugu Desam Party (TDP)  ministers Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdhary to resign as Union Ministers. The two ministers will resign on Thursday morning. 

"We have shown patience for 4 years. I tried to convince the Centre by all means", Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu told media in Amaravati. However, he stopped short of pulling out of the NDA. Chandrababu Naidu made the announcement in a press conference late on Wednesday night. "This is our first step, (resignation of TDP Ministers), we are still with NDA. We will decide our next step soon", said Naidu.

"The reason we joined the BJP as part of the Central government has not been served. That is the reason we are pulling out of the government," Naidu said.

After the Centre made it clear that the Telugu Desam Party's demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh cannot be met but finances will be provided, the party that rules the state asked its ministers to resign from the cabinet of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

Earlier on Wednesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tried to pacify Telugu Desam Party (TDP) by saying the Centre is committed to giving Andhra Pradesh financial assistance equivalent to a special category state. But, TDP seems to be in no mood to take these assurances as Andhra Pradesh's agriculture minister S Chandra Mohan Reddy claimed that "nothing has been done for the state by the Centre since 2016."

"After the bifurcation bill was passed in 2016, Jaitley had categorically expressed before media that special assistance measures were earmarked for Andhra Pradesh. However, even after one and a half years, they have done nothing, and that is why people are agitating," Reddy told ANI.

Earlier in the day, Jaitley had said that the Centre is committed to offering the monetary equivalent of this status to the state, which will be presented as a 'special package.'"The Centre stands committed to satisfy every condition. The only variation is that after the 14th Finance Commission report, instead of formally calling it a Special Category state, we are calling it a special package, which gives the same monetary benefits that a special category state gives you," he said at a press conference in the national capital.For Andhra Pradesh, the Centre committed to giving 90 percent of the funds, equivalent to special category states, through other means like external agencies, Jaitley said, adding that the Union government was even willing to accept the state government's suggestion of routing such funds through NABARD.

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