BJP's attempts fail, TDP ministers submit resignation from Union Cabinet

NEW DELHI: The two Union Ministers from the TDP submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening. However, the party will continue to be a part of the NDA. The resignations came after a day of attempts by the BJP to placate the TDP, over its demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh.

Ashok Gajapathi Raju was the Civil Aviation Minister and YS Chowdary served as a Minister of State for Science and Technology. Earlier in the day, two BJP ministers had resigned from the Andhra Pradesh state cabinet in response to the TDP's decision.

"All our party has asked for was some hand holding. We cannot say the (NDA) government has not done anything. They have offered support," YS Chowdary said to reporters after submitting his resignation to the PM.

"We will continue to be a part of the NDA, but we will not take up any ministerial positions… We will continue our attempts to attain the support that our state needs," he added.

Aviation Minister and TDP MP Ashok Gajapathi Raju's resignation letter to PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/DXFbagSzWs

— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2018

Union Minister and TDP MP YS Choudhary's resignation letter to PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/qDeS2yHOfA — ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2018

 

The TDP has been locked in a cold war with the BJP over its demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh. The TDP was among the parties opposed to the carving out of Telangana as a separate state out of undivided Andhra Pradesh. The TDP government has complained that it has suffered financially because of the bifurcation of the state, and has pressed for special status, which would have meant increased financial support from the Centre to the state government.

However, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said on Wednesday that the Centre is unable to give the special status to Andhra Pradesh as such a categorisation has been done away with under the 14th Finance Commission. Instead, he said, the Centre would ensure Andhra Pradesh get just as much funds as it would have received as a result of the special status. Jaitley had also said granting any sort of a special categorisation to Andhra Pradesh would lead to a spate of similar demands from other states.

Soon after Jaitley's remarks, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had announced that his party would quit the Cabinet. In response, two BJP ministers resigned from the Andhra Pradesh cabinet on Thursday.