AP special status row: Chandrababu Naidu to visit Delhi to meet oppn

Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is fighting for special status for his state, has said that he will visit Delhi in April to meet representatives of all political parties. Naidu said this at an all-party meeting at Amaravati on Tuesday, adding that the visit will take place on April 2 and April 3.
Speaking about the meeting, he said, “Meeting is convened as emergency to take everyone’s suggestions and decide how to go forward in Parliament. We have invited organisations that fought for the state during bifurcation and the ones fighting now.”
On March 16, the ruling TDP reached a deadlock with BJP over the non-issuance of ‘special category status’ to the state, and the former ultimately quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.
The no-confidence notice of Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP has not been taken up in Lok Sabha for around two weeks due to the persistent protests by Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK over Cauvery waters. The party has made it clear that they will not support the demand by Andhra Pradesh. The other protesting party, Telangana’s TRS, said it would not obstruct the no-confidence motions against the BJP-led Central government.
“We have been hoping each day that discussion would happen on No-Confidence motion,” Naidu told party representatives at the meeting in new state capital Amaravati, called to decide the way forward.
At the national level, most political parties, including the Congress, the Left Front and the Trinamool Congress, have supported Andhra Pradesh’s demands and its no-confidence move. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has accused the Centre of dodging a discussion on the no-confidence motion.
“We are giving information on important aspects to all political parties through pen drives,” said Naidu, whose state hopes to beat Bengaluru to become the country’s cyber-capital.
At the all-party meeting, Chief Minister Naidu also denied the allegations of the opposition YSR Congress, which has accused him of pushing the special status issue at the Centre to gain political points in the state and cited the demand of the timing as evidence.
Naidu contended that it was no recent move for his government. In the last four years, he has visited Delhi 29 times and “reminded the Centre of all promises to be fulfilled”, he said.
“I have reminded them of 16,000 crores revenue deficit several times. They have announced Special Assistance Measure equivalent to Special Category Status. Even then, I categorically said that all benefits of Special Category Status must be given,” he added.