Naidu says Modi did not follow raj dharma
■ Oppn leaders rally behind AP CM during his day-long fast
A day after his bitter war of words with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Andhra soil, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday took his fight to the national capital, where he sat on a daylong fast that ended at 8.20 pm when former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda offered him juice.
Mr Naidu was demanding Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh and implementation of provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act.
Senior national leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav came to AP Bhavan where Mr Naidu was sitting on a fast.
Leaders of almost all Ppposition parties were in attendance.
BJP ally Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut also made a surprise appearance at the protest venue in the morning.
Speaking before beginning his Deeksha, Mr Naidu accused Mr Modi of not following raj dharma. “Atal Behari Vajpayee had said raj dharma was not followed in Gujarat during the 2002 riots. Now, raj dharma is not being followed in the case of Andhra Pradesh. We have been denied what is rightfully ours,” the Chief Minister said.
A day after his bitter war of words with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Andhra soil, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday took his fight to the national capital, where he sat on a day-long fast that ended at 8.20 pm when former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda offered him juice.
“On behalf of five crore people, I am warning this government. I came here to remind you of the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act,” he said. Speaking after the protest ended, Mr Naidu dismissed accusations by Mr Modi that his government was not giving accounts of funds released by the Centre for Andhra Pradesh’s development.
Mr Naidu said, “Modi is lying. I have given all accounts and submitted all utilisation certificates. Niti Aayog, too, has recommended release of funds to Andhra Pradesh. But the Centre has never released these funds.”
In an apparent reference to Mr Modi’s accusation that the AP government was splurging public money, Mr Naidu said Mr Modi had conducted a similar deeksha in September 2011 for three days, using government money in Gujarat. Mr Naidu said his deeksha was not for personal gains but for justified demands of AP for special status.
Mr Naidu said there was no better actor than Mr Modi and faulted him for saying that he was going to Delhi for a photo opportunity. He said that for the BJP, he and the TD were good as long as they were allies.