Amit Shah, Andhra CM fight it out over TDP pullout

BJP president Amit Shah wrote a letter to TDP Chandrababu Naidu to say that his decision to quit NDA was unfortunate and unilateral and was guided by political considerations and not developmental ones.

Naidu hit back and said the letter to him was full of false information and termed it an insult to the people of Andhra Pradesh.

"Amit Shah's letter is full of false information, which shows their attitude. Had Andhra Pradesh been given hand-holding, many industries would have come to the state."

Shah said Andhra's development was one top of the agenda of national development, and that the Narendra Modi government has left no stone unturned in ensuring that.

In his nine-page letter, Shah reminded TDP that BJP raised the issue during the "previous Lok Sabha and in the Rajya Sabha when your party did not have adequate representation".

Conceding that Andhra Pradesh had suffered during bifurcation, Shah asserted that given the huge allocation of resources in the past four years since the Modi government came to power, most of the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014 "are poised towards fulfillment".

Shah enumerated measures taken by the Centre for the betterment of the state, through quipping that Naidu already knows but "perhaps won't admit" that the government had fulfilled its promises, and that BJP was "true well-wisher" and "genuine friend" of the people of Andhra Pradesh.

On the issue of special status, Shah said it was "regrettable that some parties are whipping up public sentiments rather than encouraging informed debate".

On March 7, Naidu pulled out two of his ministers from the NDA government. A week later, TDP pulled out of the BJP-led alliance over the Centre's refusal to accord special category status to Andhra Pradesh and fulfil other commitments made at the time of state's division in 2014.

Defending his party's decision to quit the NDA, Naidu said it was done to respect the feelings of the people, who were feeling betrayed by the Central government.

Naidu lashed out at Shah, saying the "unscientific division" of Andhra Pradesh had pushed the state 10 years back and blamed the Centre "for passing bifurcation bill within 20 minutes behind closed doors".

"Amit Shah in his letter said the Centre gave many funds to the state, we couldn't utilise them. They are trying to say that the Andhra Pradesh government is incapable. Our government has good GDP (growth), agriculture and many national awards. That is our capability. Why are you spreading lies," Naidu said on Saturday.

TDP has given notice for a no-confidence motion against the Modi government in the Lok Sabha, which could not be taken up due to an unending uproar in the Lower House.