In a major blow to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, the Telugu Desam Party on Friday pulled out of the coalition over the Centre's refusal to award the special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
The TDP politburo unanimously took the decision during a tele-conference conducted by party supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday morning. The party will also move a no-confidence motion against the Union government over the injustice meted out to the state, an official communique said.
"This House expresses no-confidence in the council of ministers," TDP MP Thota Narasimham later said in a letter to the Lok Sabha Secretary Snehlata Shrivastava.
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."
Narasimham told reporters that they were collecting signatures of 54 MPs, which is required to move the no-trust motion.
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.
Earlier on Thursday, Chief Minister Naidu had launched an all out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP on Thursday accusing them of "instigating other people" against him and his party.
The TDP chief had said: "It has become a habit for them to weaken the leadership in each state and play according to their wishes. Those facing (criminal) cases may dance to their tunes but not me. I cannot be intimidated by anyone. I have no fear of anything in my life."
He repeated these charges during the tele-conference on Friday, and accused the BJP of using YSR Congress leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and Jana Sena party President Pawan Kalyan to weaken the TDP.
Naidu had earlier said that the TDP was ready to support a no-confidence motion moved by any party.
However, during the teleconference 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.
The TDP president reiterated the demand that the Centre fully implement the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 and also the promises made in the Rajya Sabha at the time of bifurcation of the state to carve out Telangana.