AMARAVATI: BJP national president Amit Shah spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu over the phone, a couple of hours after the Telugu Desam Party decided to strengthen its fight over the Centre for not abiding its commitments made to the state. Sources said Shah has invited Naidu for talks over commitments made at the time of bifurcation of the state. Naidu responded by saying that he would send a delegation led by central minister Sujana Chowdary.
Sources said Naidu made it clear that there would be no compromise on commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. He told Shah that the TDP's fight is not against the BJP, but for the justice to the state. TDP, a partner in the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, had stalled proceedings in the Parliament during the first leg of the budget session and it is currently gearing up to continue the protest in the second leg, starting next week.
TDP MP Galla Jayadev said after the meeting that if the Finance Bill was not amended to make allocations to the state to fulfill commitments, the party would oppose it. He said since the Centre had promised to extend all assistance under the special package, the TDP had agreed for the same but as nothing has been done so far, they were pressing for their original demand of special category status. “If necessary we will go to the court,” the Lok Sabha member said. Andhra Pradesh State Planning Commission Vice-Chairman Kutumba Rao, meanwhile, said the talks were disappointing. Instead of mooting a formula as assured by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Shah asked them to present their formula.
