The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) kickstarted the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government on Friday, accusing it of misleading the people of Andhra Pradesh by not according it the special category status.
“The saga of Andhra Pradesh during the Modi-Shah regime is one of many empty promises,” asserted TDP parliamentarian Jayadev Galla, rejecting the government’s reasons for not giving the promised financial benefits to his state. “Mr Prime Minister, do you have any respect for commitments made by your predecessor. How can we function as a nation if we can’t believe the word of a prime minister... even in the future?”
The TDP MP alleged that the BJP happens to be just as guilty of hurting Andhra Pradesh as the Congress was. “It is not a war between the TDP and the BJP. It is a war between majority and morality... it is against Machiavillian politics and authoritarianism,” he said.
Galla began delivering his address just minutes after 19 members of the Biju Janata Dal walked out of the Lok Sabha, stating that it would not like to be embroiled in a battle that holds little relevance for Odisha.
The no-confidence motion was moved by three TDP MPs -- Srinivas Kesineni, Thota Narsimham and K Narayana Rao -- who first sent their notices electronically to the Lok Sabha secretariat before noon on Wednesday, then followed it up with formal letters to this effect.
Although the Congress wanted to move its own no-confidence motion, it had no option but to support the TDP’s move after the process was set into motion. “At this time, there was no question of not supporting the TDP’s notice. We wanted to showcase Opposition unity,” said a senior Congress leader on the condition of anonymity.
The Chandrababu Naidu-led party, once an integral part of the BJP-led NDA, turned violently critical of the Modi government after the latter went back on several assurances made to Andhra Pradesh ahead of its bifurcation in 2014.
