Hours after pulling out of the National Democratic Alliance, the Telugu Desam Party on Friday moved a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government in Lok Sabha.
"We go according to principles. Our leader felt being part of NDA and moving a no-confidence motion would not be ethical. So we withdrew from the NDA and I have issued a letter on no-confidence motion to the speaker at 9.30 am," Thota Narasimham, the TDP's floor leader in the Lok Sabha, told reporters.
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Speaker Sumitra Mahajen has accepted the no-trust motion but said it cannot be brought if the house is not in order.
Earlier in the morning, TDP pulled out of the NDA coalition over the Centre's refusal to award the special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
The party politburo unanimously took the decision during a tele-conference conducted by party supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Narasimham, in his letter to Lok Sabha Secretary Snehlata Shrivastava, said: "This House expresses no-confidence in the council of ministers."
He also wrote: "Under Rule 198 (B) of Chapter XVII of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, I hereby give notice to move the following motion in the House on today ated March 16."
Chief Minister Naidu had earlier said that he was ready to support a no-confidence motion moved by any party. However, during the tele-conference of party leaders on Friday, he said that the party should move a motion on its own instead of supporting the one being moved by their rival YSR Congress Party.
Party MP C.M. Ramesh said that YSR Congress MP Vijaysai Reddy was seen making attempts to meet the prime minister and this hinted at a nexus between both parties.
"We have no confidence in their no-confidence motion, so we have decided to go on our own," he said.
With the BJP alone having 274 members in the 536-member Lok Sabha and enjoying support of allies, the no-confidence motion, if accepted, is certain to be defeated but it has the potential to put the saffron party in an tight corner in the state.
On March 8, the TDP had pulled its two ministers—Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Y.S. Chowdary —out of the Union cabinet but had stopped short of walking out of the alliance. Raju held the civil aviation ministry while Chowdary was the minister of state for science and technology.
"It is unfortunate. We tried our best to be together but the present government ignored the sentiments and emotions of people of Andhra Pradesh," Chowdary told reporters in Delhi on Friday.
With support from agencies