VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu Desam Party was on Thursday awarded 13 minutes to present its case on the “unscientific” bifurcation of the State and the Centre’s non-cooperation thereafter in the Lok Sabha on Friday. With just hours left for the no-confidence motion to begin, TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu deliberated with the party MPs and officials, chalking out a strategy to effectively illustrate how the Centre had “betrayed” the State by denying it Special Category Status and not implementing provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act.
Guntur MP Galla Jayadev, whose speech during the Budget Session was appreciated by the Chief Minister, has been chosen to open the debate instead of Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas who moved the motion on Wednesday. It is understood that Naidu informed Kesineni of the change in the plan even as the MP was preparing his lines. Though disappointed, Kesineni agreed without protest saying he would abide by any decision of the party chief.
Apart from Jayadev, Srikakulam MP Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and Kesineni too will speak in the 13 minutes awarded to the TDP.
The Chief Minister observed that 13 minutes was too short a time to narrate all the State’s woes, but expressed confidence that his MPs would do an impressive job in bringing to light the plight of five crores Andhra.
“We should convert the injustice done to the State into a national issue and expose the BJP government’s betrayal of AP by not fulfilling the assurances made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the floor of the Rajya Sabha,” Naidu told the MPs. Sources said in addition to SCS, the TDP would raise the allocation of funds for development of seven backward districts. “Of course, in the given time, we will try to raise all areas being neglected by the Centre, but we will have to focus on key issues to expose the vindictive attitude of the Centre towards AP,” a TDP leader said.
Naidu also wrote letters to non-Congress and non-BJP parties seeking their support to the no-confidence motion. The CM, who was scheduled to participate in the Garma Darshini programme on Friday, will stay at the Secretariat and watch the debate. Naidu directed MPs to recall how the bifurcation bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in 2014 while explaining the injustice meted out to AP.
Meanwhile, BJP State president Kanna Lakshminarayana fumed at the Chief Minister’s allegation that the NDA was trying to cheat the people of AP. “The no-confidence motion is part of the drama that Naidu has been staging for the last four years. The CM passed resolutions in Assembly and also in Mahanadu last year, thanking the Centre for extending the special package to the State, he said.
Meanwhile, YSRC Rajya Sabha MP V Vijaya Sai Reddy said they would support the no-confidence motion introduced by any party to safeguard the State’s interests.
TDP’s points
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wants MPs to remind the country of PM Modi’s remark during bifurcation that Congress-led UPA government had protected the baby after murdering the mother
No response from Centre after Niti Aayog recommended release of Rs 666 crore for Amaravati on June 4
After giving Rs 4,115 for each person in Bundelkhand, the Centre gave just Rs 428 for the people in seven backward districts of AP