No-trust debate: TDP says it is war between morality, majority
New Delhi, July 20 : Former NDA ally and a prime mover of the no-confidence motion against the BJP-led ruling alliance, The Telugu Desam Party, on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "deceiving" the people of Andhra Pradesh by not giving it the promised special category status, saying it was fighting a war between "morality and majority."
Initiating the debate during the motion in the Lok Sabha, TDP member Jayadev Galla said the residual state had been denied justice since "unscientific bifurcation" of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
Galla, who was speaking on behalf of his colleague Kesineni Srinavas whose notice of no-confidence motion was accepted by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, thanked Opposition parties, including Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI-M and AIMIM, for supporting the motion.
Galla said the people of Andhra Pradesh were tired of unfulfilled promises, and that the motion provided a litmus test for Parliament to fulfill the promises made.
Galla began his speech by stating that it was for the first time that a first-time MP has got a chance to move a motion of no-confidence.
He said seeking justice for the people of the state was a "dharma yudha." Galla said BJP President Amit Shah had told party leaders from Andhra Pradesh in March to wage a war on TDP.
"It is now war between BJP and TDP. It is a war between majority and morality, It is a war between the Modi regime and 5 crore people of Andhra Pradesh.
"It is a war against discrimination showed by the Modi regime towards AP, it is a war to honour the assurances made by PM in Parliament, it is a war between authoritarian Machiavellian attitude of the Modi regime and the rights of states that make up the federal Republic of India. It is a Dharma Yudh," Galla said.
Galla, who is MP from Guntur, said the people were tired of the empty assurances and unfulfilled commitments.
Reeling out statistics, Galla forcefully articulated the party's stance, saying the last four years have posed tremendous challenges for the "new state with an old name".
"It is not prudent to say that the issues of Andhra Pradesh are not national issues. It is also an emotional issue for people of the state," he said.
"We need relief, but the Modi government is posing new challenges for us. Andhra Pradesh is also languishing in services," he said.
Galla, who faced some disruptions during his speech from Telangana Rashtra Samiti members, said that the promise of special category state for five years to the residual state of Andhra Pradesh was given by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha in 2014.
"Do you have any respect for commitment made by your predecessor," he asked Modi.
He referred to Modi's election speeches in Andhra Pradesh in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when TDP was aligned with BJP, and said the BJP leader had asked people if they wanted to vote for clean, corruption-free Andhra Pradesh "by voting for us or choose to go for the rival opposition party and push Andhra Pradesh into corruption."
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom we trusted so dearly has deceived the state," he said.
"Modi while campaigning in Andhra Pradesh had said 'Congress killed the mother and saved the child'. Had I been there, I would have saved the mother too'. People of Andhra Pradesh have waited for four long years for him to save their mother, he added.
Galla accused the BJP of changing its stance on the special category status. "It will be decimated in Andhra Pradesh the way Congress was, if the people of Andhra Pradesh are cheated. Mr PM, it's not a threat, it's a 'shraap (curse),"' he said.
TDP had pulled out of the Modi government and NDA earlier this year over its demand of special category status.
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Kerala polls: Vijayan, Revanth Reddy trade barbs as campaigning ends
Kannur (Kerala)/Hyderabad (PTI): A war of words between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy turned acrimonious on Tuesday, the final day of campaigning for the April 9 Assembly polls.
The two leaders sparred on the virtual world as well, exchanging letters on their respective social media handles.
The escalation came after Vijayan, responding to Reddy's earlier remarks, used Malayalam expressions considered nearly derogatory, signalling strong disapproval of the Telangana CM's comments.
Reddy, campaigning for the UDF in Kollam district, hit back swiftly, likening Vijayan to PM Narendra Modi.
He said he would take any personal remarks from the senior leader as a "blessing" considering his age, but objected to what he described as insults directed at the people of Kerala. "But you cannot abuse our Kerala people," he said, hours before campaigning drew to a close.
The controversy began after Reddy had said "nee po mone Vijaya" by invoking a famous dialogue from superstar Mohanlal's blockbuster movie "Narasimham" while referring to Vijayan on April 1 during a UDF campaign roadshow in Nemom constituency.
Earlier in the day, while reacting to Reddy's earlier remarks, Vijayan said a CM must maintain basic standards of conduct and questioned whether such dignity was being followed.
In his response to a query, Vijayan used Malayalam words that were seen as nearly derogatory for Reddy, signalling his strong disapproval of the remarks made against him.
Sharply reacting to the CM's objectionable remarks, Congress leader V D Satheesan said Vijayan appeared to have "completely lost composure" and warned that any further deterioration in his conduct would have brought "greater embarrassment" to the state.
After the critical remarks during the press meet, Vijayan wrote on his 'X' handle that political differences are natural, but expressing strong disagreement through personally insulting remarks is an attitude that he rejects. Reddy's statements lacked factual backing.
In a detailed letter attached with the 'X' post addressing the Telangana CM, Vijayan said the experience of the people of Kerala was "vastly different" from what Reddy had portrayed.
He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a debate over the performance of the Telangana government, stating that it was for the people of Telangana and political parties there to assess their government.
Referring to Reddy's comments, Vijayan said the LDF government has been consistently publishing progress reports over the past 10 years on the implementation of its election promises, underlining its commitment to continuous accountability.
He also rejected the allegation of "selective appropriation" of Kerala's achievements, including its top ranking in the NITI Aayog SDG Index, and said such criticism was misplaced.
Dismissing claims of industrial stagnation, Vijayan said Kerala has made significant strides in the startup ecosystem and ease of doing business, adding that these achievements have been widely acknowledged.
He also alleged that key infrastructure projects in Kerala, including the Kochi Metro and Vizhinjam Port, faced delays under previous Congress-led governments at the Centre, while long-pending promises such as a railway coach factory remained unfulfilled.
Vijayan further accused the BJP-led Union government of discrimination against Kerala and said the state has been actively resisting what he described as "anti-federal and undemocratic" policies through legal and political means, including approaching the Supreme Court.
He also rejected Reddy's criticism that the LDF was not vocal enough against the BJP, asserting that Kerala has been at the forefront of defending constitutional values.
Concluding his letter, Vijayan reiterated the state government's commitment to building a "Nava Keralam" and moving forward as a model for others.
On April 1, while addressing party workers in Nemom, Reddy used the popular Malayalam film dialogue "Nee po mone Vijaya". He adapted it to target Vijayan, saying "Nee po mone Vijaya".
Reddy went further, claiming that Vijayan's "time is over" and that his "expiry date has passed".
Responding to these allegations, Vijayan had said that the Telangana CM was "misinformed" and accused him of "ridiculing" Kerala and its people while trying to hide the weaknesses of his own state.
In a later response, Reddy defended his remarks and said that many of the statistics cited by Vijayan were taken from the NITI Aayog SDG Index 2023 24, arguing that the data was already outdated.
Reddy in his letter questioned the veteran Marxist leader's claim that Kerala would become the first state to completely eradicate extreme poverty by late 2025 had been achieved. Further, he chooses to conduct himself respectfully and gracefully in his criticism of the Kerala government's performance, whereas Vijayan opted to use language of poor taste.
Reddy, in his letter on X, said that while he respects NITI Aayog's corruption rankings, he wants to know why the infamous gold smuggling case, linked to individuals connected to the CMO, remains unresolved, and why 4.5 kg of gold allegedly misappropriated from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple has not been accounted for.
