TDP to move privilege motion against PM, Finance Minister

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) moved to file privilege motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister for 'misleading the House' about special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Chandrababu Naidu told MPs to move privilege motion, directly accusing PM for lying.

During the Monsoon session debate in Lok Sabha, TDP MP YS Chowdary accused the Modi government of "willfully burying" the Union Cabinet's decision in respect of special category status to the state and said there was a "huge dichotomy in the words and deeds" of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

However, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said the Centre "has an open mind. We are willing to consider in a rationale manner how these issues can be resolved so that the the letter and spirit is adhered to."

"The purpose is that the people of AP should get benefit and that the Modi government is fully commited to. ... Don't go by the letter, go by the spirit of the arrangement," he said, adding that the state would not have got any extra fund through the special category status.

(With PTI inputs)