Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday said he was ready to move a no-confidence motion against the Centre, but such a move will be his last resort, PTI reported.
Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s only ally in the south, has been at odds with the Centre since February 1, alleging that the Union Budget did not allocate enough funds to Andhra Pradesh. All through the first half of Parliament’s Budget Session, TDP leaders and other political parties from the state protested inside the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over the issue.
Naidu’s statement comes after two main Opposition leaders – YSR Congress’ Jagan Mohan Reddy and Jana Sena Party’s Pawan Kalyan – said they were prepared to move motions of no-confidence against the National Democratic Alliance to increase the pressure on the government to grant Andhra Pradesh more funds.
A motion of no trust in the government can be passed in the Lok Sabha by any member through a written notice. However, the Speaker will allow discussions on the motion only if at least 50 MPs are in its favour.
Naidu pointed out that the BJP had the numbers in the lower house, and dismissed Reddy’s “challenge” to the TDP to join him in passing the no-confidence motion as a political move.
“If you move a no-confidence motion, they [the BJP] have majority,” Naidu said. “It will be defeated and you can’t talk anything for six months on the issue. First there should be a debate...we have to muster support.”
Naidu also claimed the YSR Congress was waiting for the TDP to end its alliance with the NDA, so that the YSR Congress can join it, according to News18. “For us, politics is not important. Development of the state and what benefits the state are on top of our priority list.”
Naidu was planning to convene an all-party meeting to discuss other ways to build pressure on the Centre, PTI quoted unidentified TDP leaders as saying. However, the chief minister did not rule out moving the no-trust motion.
“We will continue our fight for justice to Andhra Pradesh,” Naidu said at an event in Vijayawada on Monday night. “If that doesn’t happen, we will muster support from other parties and move the no-trust motion.”
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