Naidu Declares War On Centre, To Fast On April 20

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today announced that he would observe a one-day fast on his birthday on April 20 in protest against the "hostile attitude" of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre towards the state.

Speaking to mediapersons at Vijayawada today, Naidu said that he would show the power of the Telugu Desam Party not only to the BJP government at the Centre but also to the entire nation.

"The union government has rendered gross injustice to Andhra Pradesh by not fulfilling its assurances to the state as enshrined in the AP Reorganization Act of 2014. On my birthday on April 20, I will stage a dharna from the morning to the evening, and will hold a public meeting in Tirupati on April 30 so that every house in the state discusses the injustice done to the state," Naidu said.

"The Centre is resorting to corrupt and veiled politics. The BJP and the YSR Congress Party have no moral authority to criticize us. Even a new political party is firing salvos needlessly. They have intentionally called for a bandh to cause embarrassment to the ruling party," he added.

The Chief Minister said that he had decided to stage protests peacefully without causing damage to the process of development. He appealed to the people to cooperate with the state government in its uncompromising struggle against the Centre.

An irate Naidu also commented on Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally.

"While I became Chief Minister in 1995, Modi took over the reigns of Gujarat in 2002. He is junior to me in politics. The BJP is disregarding the TDP which has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha. I was once a kingmaker at the Centre. In the future, too, I will play a pivotal role in the government formation at the Centre," he said.