5 YSR Cong MPs quit Lok Sabha

Resign over govt’s ‘failure’ to grant special status to Andhra; Naidu attacks Modi

Five YSR Congress MPs resigned from the Lok Sabha on Friday to protest the Centre’s “failure” to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh, scaling up a high-stakes battle for the southern state that goes to the polls next year.

The resignations came weeks after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh, quit the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government over the same issue.

The TDP, led by CM N Chandrababu Naidu and Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress party are political opponents in the state.

The YSR Congress parliamentarians met Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to submit their resignations after the Lower House was adjourned sine dine.

On Thursday, the five MPs had said at a joint press conference that they were outraged as their notices for a no-confidence motion against the NDA government were not taken up for discussion in the House due to continuous disruptions.

Though the YSR Congress has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, three have “defected: to the TDP and one to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the ruling party in Telangana, since 2014. However, their defections are yet to be officially acknowledged.

The TDP had also issued notices for a no-confidence motion against the government over the demand for special category state, a key issue in the state since its bifurcation to carve out Telangana in 2014.

A special category state gets more funds and benefits from the Centre, which both the TDP and YSR Congress say is required as compensation for the losses suffered by the state due to creation of Telangana.

YSRC Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy had issued the resignation threat in February.

On Thursday, YSR Congress MP Varaprasad Rao Velagapalli accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chandrababu Naidu of “disrespecting democracy”, saying both leaders “failed” to keep their promises to the people of the state.

“YSRCP has given notices for no-confidence motion 12 times and not even once it was taken up for discussion,” Velagapalli said.

Another party MP Mekapati Raja Mohan Reddy said that Naidu launched the fight for special category status “out of sheer pressure from the people as our leader has been ramping up pressure on him on the issue”.

“He had no option but to quit the NDA,” he added.

On Naidu’s charge of a nexus between the YSR Congress and BJP, he said, “Naidu is trying to club our party with the BJP. This is unfair. The TDP was in alliance with the BJP for four years and now they are blaming us.”

In Hyderabad, Naidu criticised the Centre, saying the government should not undermine the power of the Telugu people.

“It seems like the Centre is underestimating the power of the Telugu people, and wants to weaken the state. That can never happen. Everybody knows what happened to former PM Indira Gandhi when she tried to topple the NTR (former chief minister NT Rama Rao) government in 1984. The Congress party went into political oblivion by dividing the combined state,” Naidu said.

Speaking in the assembly later, Naidu alleged that the Modi government was adopting a vindictive attitude towards him. He pointed out that the Centre was liberally releasing funds to pollbound states but ignoring the genuine demands of AP.

“Thousands of crores were announced for the metro rail project in Karnataka, but not a penny was released for a similar project in Visakhapatnam. There was no mention of a railway zone for Visakhapatnam. The Centre released ₹350 crore to the state for the development of backward areas but withdrew the same stating that the PMO didn’t approve the same. Is it justified?” he said.

The state assembly also unanimously adopted a resolution demanding that the Centre convene a special Parliament session to review the provisions of AP Reorganisation Act and assurances made in Rajya Sabha including special category status. Naidu moved the resolution, which was adopted by members with thumping of desks.

Assembly polls are due in the state next year and the two regional parties have turned the demand into a matter of Telugu pride.