Andhra special status: After resigning, TDP ministers say, 'Will continue to be part of NDA'

TDP MP YS Chowdary on Thursday after submitting resignation letter said that they will continue to be a part of the NDA but not take up any ministerial position.

Speaking to media, Chowdary said,''I don't think it's fair on our part to expect PM to deal with these issues. It's for the concerned ministries to take up, already considerable amount of time has lapsed.''

''We will continue to be a part of the NDA but not take up any ministerial positions. I don't think there is anything wrong in that,'' he further said.

Speaking on BJP-YSRCP alliance, Chowdary said,''That is between those two parties, we have nothing to say on that, you can ask them.''

"We (BJP and TDP) have worked together and were able to work cohesively. This was an opportunity that I partly gave up. It's our courtesy that we call on him (Narendra Modi)," said Ashok Gajapathi Raju who submitted his resignation to Modi along with YS Chowdary on Thursday.

"We are continuing as part of NDA, but the problems are there. From being Andhra Pradesh, we have become the "residuous state of Andhra Pradesh". There are different ways to look at it (the bifurcation issue). Our party has directed that we resign and continue being part of NDA. We hope that a solution will come," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu amid political tension between BJP and TDP over granting special status to the state.

According to TDP Sources,''AP CM Naidu explained to the Modi about reasons leading to central ministers' resignation and TDP withdrawing from Union Government.

Earlier in the day, ANI reported that BJP ministers in the Andhra Pradesh government, Dr Kamineni Srinivas and Pydikondala Manikyala Rao, resigned from the state cabinet.

Meanwhile, the two TDP ministers in the Union Cabinet to meet PM Narendra Modi at 6 PM today. They were directed yesterday by Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu to submit their resignations.

The BJP on Thursday pulled two of its ministers out of the Andhra Pradesh government which is led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in the backdrop of increasing hostilities between the parties over special category status to the state.

On Wednesday, Naidu said, "We have taken the decision to pull out two TDP ministers, civil aviation minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Union minister of science and technology Srujana Chowdary, from the Union cabinet as all our efforts to get special category status failed. It was a last resort decision."

Naidu's remarks came hours after Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre could not accommodate TDP's demands for "special category" status or tax relief for the state.

The TDP has 16 members in the Lok Sabha and four in the Rajya Sabha.

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