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A senior TDP leader said the party would also demand special status for Andhra Pradesh as it had lost its biggest revenue source – Hyderabad – due to the bifurcation of the state in 2014.
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) parliamentary party meeting, chaired by party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday, decided to request the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to allot five Cabinet berths to the party and two to its Centre ally Jana Sena, party leaders said on Thursday. In the recently concluded general election, the Naidu-led TDP won 16 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats, Jana Sena two and the BJP, as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), won three.
A senior TDP leader said the party will also demand special status for Andhra Pradesh as it lost its biggest revenue source – Hyderabad – due to the state’s bifurcation in 2014. “Our request for ministerial berths is based on the special package that was promised to Andhra Pradesh at the time of reorganisation. The requirement for special status is basically central grants for major development projects in the state,” a party MP said.
At the meeting held at Naidu’s residence in Undavalli on the outskirts of Vijayawada, the party promised to support the NDA throughout its term, regardless of who the BJP chooses as its legislative party leader. Top of the list of priorities is grants for seven backward districts of Andhra Pradesh – three from north Andhra and four from the Rayalaseema region. “As part of the Special Development Project (SDP) funds, we have decided to share 50-50 in the metro project for Vijayawada, continue the Sagarmala project for five years and request the Centre for industry and power subsidies for state and national development,” said Kalama Srinivasulu, one of the TDP leaders.
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