Alliance On, for Now: TDP on Reports of Rift with BJP After Budget

All party leaders expressed “serious displeasure” over the Union Budget as it “gave nothing” to the state.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) , on Sunday, said its alliance with the BJP in Andhra Pradesh and the Centre was very much alive, following speculation that the party was disgruntled over the "raw deal" that the state got in the Union Budget.

TDP leader and Union minister Y Satyanarayana Chowdary briefed the media about deliberations at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the Union Budget.

As and when it is required, the chief minister and party chief will take the decision appropriately. As of today it (the alliance) is just going on. We never said (about snapping ties)...it’s all speculation.

TDP leader and Union minister Y Satyanarayana Chowdary

Angry over what it called a "raw deal" meted out to Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget, the Bharatiya Janata Party's ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) called an emergency meeting of all party MPs in Amaravati on Sunday, 4 February, to discuss the developments. The party discussed this year’s budget and how there have been no allocations to Andhra Pradesh in the budget, according to Minster of State (MoS) for Science and Technology, YS Chowdhary.

During the meeting, this year’s budget and no allocations to Andhra Pradesh were discussed. We will continue pressurising the Centre for it. We will also raise the matter in the Parliament, if it is needed.

YS Chowdhary, Minister of State for Science and Technology.

However, BJP MP from Visakhapatnam, K Hari Babu, is of the view that there is nothing to criticise the Centre as far as the budget is concerned.

Central govt has extended all the help that is to be given to Andhra Pradesh. Nothing to criticize Centre as far as budget is concerned.

K Hari Babu

However, K Rammohan Rao, on being asked about TDP-BJP alliance before the meeting had told the media that they will be discussing the Budget and that political alliance and state government development are two different things.

TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had reviewed the Budget with some senior ministers and held a tele-conference with party MPs, on Thursday, TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas had said.

TDP MPs, who earlier met at the residence of MoS YS Chowdhary in New Delhi, flayed the Centre for handing out a raw deal to the southern state in the Budget.

According to the leader, a couple of MPs even reportedly suggested that they would quit their posts in protest, but the party supremo told them everything would be discussed at the TDP Parliamentary Party meeting on Sunday, 4 February.

According to a report by NDTV, party MP TG Venkatesh said:

We are going to declare war. We have three options – one is to try and continue, two is our MPs resign and the third is to end the alliance. We will decide in the meeting with the chief minister on Sunday.

A few senior state ministers, who were closeted with the chief minister after the Budget presentation, noted that the Centre only "meted out injustice" by not honouring any of the promises made over the past four years.

Jaitley seems to have completely forgotten AP while presenting the Budget, though we have given him a detailed report on the funds due from the Centre to the state.

Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, Agriculture Minister, to PTI

"We are very much pained that the Centre turned a blind eye, whereas AP should have been looked at specially. We will let the Centre realise our displeasure. We will have no objection if it responds favourably. But if it continues to behave the same way it has been doing over the years...it is not justified," Somireddy noted.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI)