Shah raps Naidu for NDA exit

The decision by Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to walk out of the National Democratic Alliance (TDP) was “unfortunate and unilateral” and politically motivated, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah said.

In an open 9-page response to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s letter to him on March 16, Shah said the assertion that the BJP was not sensitive towards the aspiration of the people of Andhra Pradesh was “unture and baseless”.

Two TDP ministers, Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary, resigned from the government on March 8 and the party left the NDA on March 16, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP had reneged on a promise to designate Andhra Pradesh a special category state, which would have entitled it to special central grants. The TDP and its rival YSR Congress Party have since served notices of a no-confidence motion against the NDA that haven’t been taken up because of noisy protests in Parliament.

“This decision is both unfor- tunate as well as unilateral. It is a decision, I am afraid, will be construed as being guided wholly and solely by political considerations instead of development concerns. It is widely known that the Government has not left any stone unturned in ensuring growth and prosperity of Andhra Pradesh,” Shah wrote in his letter.

Naidu wrote to Shah last week, “I have come to Delhi about 29 times to seek justice for our people. Every time, I returned only with promises and assurances.”

In his response dated March 23, Shah claimed that ”massive resource allocations” had been made to Andhra Pradesh and most of the promises made in the reorganisation Act that led to the state’s 2014 bifurcation to create a separate state of Telangana were poised to be fulfilled “….any claim of discrimination against Andhra Pradesh is far from the facts,” Shah wrote.

Shah listed out several schemes and projects to suggest the “central government has not only fulfilled its statutory obligations under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, but has gone far beyond to ensure that the state becomes financially strong.”

NEW DELHI: It is widely known that the government has not left any stone unturned in ensuring growth and prosperity of Andhra

AMIT SHAH, BJP president I have come to Delhi about 29 times to seek justice for our people. Every time, I returned with promises and assurances CHANDRABABU NAIDU, Andhra CM