Recently, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed his unhappiness with the Union Budget 2018-2019. He reportedly said to Telegu Desham Party (TDP) MPs that “the Centre is behaving in such a way that it is making people of AP feel that they are not part of the nation.” Naidu’s statement came after finance minister Arun Jaitley’s statement in the Parliament about ‘inadequate’ allocation of funds to the state.
Currently, Naidu is in Dubai but had an emergency teleconference session with the MPs. Two Union Cabinet ministers were also present at the session on Thursday to discuss further action.
Thota Narasimham, TDP floor leader in the Lok Sabha said, “Naidu directed us to keep up the protest in Parliament on Friday until the demands of the state are met.”
During the teleconference, Arun Jaitley’s statement in the Parliament was read to Naidu. The two union MPs adviced that TDP should continue the tough stance towards the Centre.
“Naidu told us to protest in a serious way. The CM expressed unhappiness over the response from the Centre over the last 3-4 days,” Narasimham added.
Naidu also told the MPs that he will have another round of teleconference with them on Friday. Reports suggest that TDP will take a final decision on the future action following the result of discussions between state and central officials on revenue deficit and externally-aided projects.
Some TDP MPs, incorporating Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) of Andhra Pradesh Ganta Srinivas Rao, indicated on Thursday that if needed, TDP will break away from the alliance with NDA.
However, BJP Vizag MP and state unit president K Haribabu claimed that the TDP will not walk out of the alliance at this position, though reports claim Naidu said that the TDP chief was much upset with Jaitley’s statement. Haribabu also felt that Andhra Pradesh was being given a step-motherly treatment.
“Each time you concede their demand, they come up with new ones. There is a limit to how much you can do for one state when you are having to deal with expectations from others too,” BJP sources said, expressing discontent with TDP’s constant muscle-flexing.
BJP also stated that though they appreciate Naidu’s demands for the benefits of his state, most of which they have endeavoured to provide, the TDP chief never takes into account the Centre’s problems: fund constraint and the fact that India is a federal polity.
“There is a strong possibility of position hardening on our side as well if he just goes on raising his ante,” the BJP said.
Previously, Finance minister Arun Jaitley asserted that the centre was compassionate to the requirements of Andhra Pradesh government and is finalising a fresh package in consultation with the state.
Further, Jaitley said that officials from the expenditure department and the state government contained talks to come up with a solution for financing externally-aided projects and on the issue of revenue deficit, on which Naidu had written to the FM.
Though Jaitley did not disclose details, he said that an arrangement had been worked out and the state officials had gone back to communicate the decision to the centre.
As Jaitley made this statement, the Congress members were protesting in the Lok Sabha on his comments on Rafale and the TDP members were in the well, commanding a special package for Andhra Pradesh.
Amid the turmoil, Jaitley told that largest components of the package that was zeroed in on at the time of bifurcation had already been given to Andhra.
“The package involved several aspects, many of which have been implemented. Some of them are work in progress. We have given so far funds as promised for a large number of institutions which are being created because most of the institutions went to the Telangana state,” he said.
Funds will continue to be given to all those institutions, claims Jaitley, adding that various ministers were discussing proposals related to railway and petroleum projects.
In spite of these statements, TDP members are not pacified.
On creation of the Capital, he said the Centre has made some payments for backward districts development and for ambitious Polavaram project through National Bank For Agriculture And Rural Development (Nabard) and added that Rs 4,500 crore have already been paid.