“How can PM compare me with tainted politicians. The YSR Congress is a corrupt (party).” Naidu

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu addresses a press conference, in New Delhi on July 21, 2018. (Photo: IANS)

Naidu said he was ‘deeply pained’ to hear Modi describing AP’s demand for special category status as TDP’s internal fight with YSR Congress in the state.

A day after the central government won a no-confidence motion moved against it, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said that he was pained to hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi comparing him with “corrupt officials” and mocking the Telugu people.

The TDP chief said that the prime minister should not talk about “petty things”.

“As a Prime Minister of this country, you should not talk like that. As the Prime Minister, you should not talk about petty things,” Naidu said at a press conference in New Delhi.

The chief minister said he was “deeply pained” to hear Modi describing Andhra Pradesh’s genuine demand for special category status as TDP’s internal fight with YSR Congress in the state.

“How can he compare me with tainted politicians. The YSR Congress is a corrupt (party).”

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had sought the support of other parties including the Congress for the no-trust motion, citing the NDA government’s “non-fulfilment of the promise” in granting special status to his state.

However, the government enjoyed complete majority in the no-trust voting held in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The TDP has been demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh which got bifurcated paving way for the creation of Telangana in 2014.

The bifurcation is believed to have caused huge financial and resource losses to Andhra as capital Hyderabad and IT city Cyberabad went to Telangana.

Naidu said PM Modi failed to keep his promise to the people of Andhra Pradesh. “BJP has again betrayed the state… and its five crore people,” he said.

“After 15 years, first time no-confidence motion was moved by opposition parties, we knew they have majority, but the motion was majority versus morality,” Naidu said.

He added that the 18 assurances given to Andhra Pradesh in AP Reorganisation Act-2014 have been broken.

Continuing his tirade against Modi, Naidu asserted that the prime minister was stating false issues to justify the injustice done to the state.
“Truth is that neither the Constitution nor the Finance Commission have issues with granting Special Category Status to AP,” he said.

Lauding TDP MP Ram Mohan Naidu K for voicing the anguish of the Telugu people, Naidu said, “We are proud of the MPs who displayed true leadership and fought for Andhra Pradesh”.