Chandrababu Naidu fast highlights: Andhra CM to meet President on Tuesday

Chandrababu Naidu was observing a hunger strike or 'Dharma Porata Deeksha' (a day-long protest for justice) against the central government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday broke his day-long fast demanding special status for his state. His protest became a rallying point for Opposition leaders who visited him as a sign of support and criticised the Modi government. 
 

Clad in a black shirt to protest what he claims to be a raw deal meted out to the state, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief began his 'Dharma Porata Deeksha' protest at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi. 
 

After paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, Naidu and other TDP leaders reached the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan, where they garlanded the statue of Babasaheb B R Ambedkar before launching the protest. 
 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, National Congress chairperson Farooq Abdullah, NCP's Majeed Memon, Trinamool Congress' Derek O' Brien, DMK's Tiruchi Siva and Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav were among those who met the TDP chief to express their support. 

9:45 PM

Naidu to meet President tomorrow, submit representation

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8:28 PM

Naidu breaks his day-long fast

8:26 PM

MP CM Kamal Nath meets Naidu, accuses Centre of dividing institutions like RBI, CBI

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Monday accused the Centre of dividing important institutions like the RBI and the CBI and vowed to expose it. (Read more here)

 

Nath met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who is on a day-long protest in New Delhi, and expressed his solidarity, according to an official statement.

 

While recollecting the proceedings of Parliament as Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kamal Nath said he was not only the witness to the debates but also to the commitments made in Parliament for special status to Andhra Pradesh. "Non-fulfilment of the commitments made in Parliament is an injustice to the people of Andhra Pradesh," he said.  

8:22 PM

Naidu broke people's trust, his delusional politics about to end: Shah

With Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu sitting on a day-long fast in New Delhi, BJP president Amit Shah on Monday said the Andhra Pradesh chief minister knows that his political fortunes are declining rapidly and so he was back to theatrics in his desperation for grabbing headlines. (Read more here) 

 

In an open letter to people of Andhra Pradesh, Shah accused Naidu of breaking their trust and said he is going too far by "personally" attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Naidu's "delusional politics" is about to end, he said, adding that the BJP has full faith in 'Satyameva Jayate' (truth prevails).

8:17 PM

Interim Budget sign that govt is afraid of not returning to power: TDP 

 

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Monday said that the Interim Budget 2019-20 was an attempt to woo the voters and an indication that the central government was afraid of not coming back to power. (Read more here) 

 

"There has been a lot of confusion in the Budget. There has been a tradition of presenting an account Budget. But when they spoke about it, they said it is an Interim Budget. And when they presented the Budget, it came out as a full-fledged Budget," TDP MP Rammohan Naidu said during the discussion on the Interim Budget in the Lok Sabha. "What is the confusion? What has compelled them to present a full-fledged Budget?"

 

Naidu said the government introduced so many schemes to woo the farmers and others, which was a sign that it was afraid of not coming back to power again. In that sense, he said, the government presented a Budget for "votes and nothing else". 

8:10 PM

PM Modi is a vindictive leader, even Shiv Sena not happy with him: Naidu

 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu said on Monday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a 'vindictive' leader with whom even the BJP's traditional ally Shiv Sena is not happy. "Narendra Modi is a vindictive leader with whom even Shiv Sena is not happy," said Naidu. (Read more here)

 

"Uddhav Thackeray is the best friend of mine, even Bal Thackeray was very affectionate towards me. I really appreciate Shiv Sena chief for extending the cooperation," said Naidu. 

8:02 PM

Everything Naidu said at the protest 

 

1) 'Threat to democracy': Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday claimed there is a threat to democracy and the country under the Narendra Modi-led BJP regime.

 

2) 'Modi govt betrayed Andhra': Naidu said his agitation was a way to communicate to the nation "the betrayal by the Modi government of Andhra Pradesh".

 

3) 'Modi using agencies to crush Oppn, dissent': "Modi is threatening everybody -- the Opposition, bureaucracy, corporates and even the media. He is using the CBI, ED and the IT Department to crush the Opposition and dissent," said Naidu, claiming that democracy and the nation were "under threat" under Modi.

 

4) 'Democratic compulsion for all parties': "We want to save democracy. Today there is a democratic compulsion for all political parties to join together to save the country," he said.

 

5) 'Modi playing games to divide Oppn': Naidu said: "We need to keep this in mind. Modi was given absolute majority. What did he do? Nothing. The BJP and Modi were playing games to divide the Opposition by asking who's their leader."

 

6) 'Modi must stop hitting below the belt first': "He is responsible for the falling standard of public discourse. PM must stop first hitting below the belt. Then everyone will stop and then we will maintain dignity and discourse of politics," he said. 

 

7) 'Protest demonstrates Andhra's strength': Naidu said his protest was against the injustice done to the state, to remind the Centre of its promises and to demonstrate the strength of Andhra Pradesh.

 

8) 'Act immediately to fulfil commitments': Warning the Prime Minister to stop the attacks, Naidu said he should act immediately to fulfil the commitments as only "two days were left" to the ongoing Parliament session, which could be the last session before the Lok Sabha elections.

 

"If you don't fulfil the promises you have made, we know how to get it done," he said, adding that the Centre failed to implement the provisions of Bifurcation Act, including funds to bridge the revenue deficit, railway zone in Visakhapatnam, steel plant in Kadapa and a petrochemical corridor.  

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The Constitution is being systematically destroyed, added former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang, who gave the BJP its first government in the Northeast 16 years ago. 

5:40 PM

Loktantrik Janata Dal chief Sharad Yadav blamed the Modi government for unemployment and joblessness, which he said were a result of demonetisation.

5:39 PM

Stating that Naidu was fighting for a just cause, DMK's Tiruchi Siva said the Modi government would be ousted in three months. "The powers of the state are being encroached upon... the rights of the minorities are being violated." 

5:37 PM

Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav said he was not well but had come to endorse Naidu's stand. "Naidu is fighting the battle for the poor, the farmers and all those who are oppressed," he added. 

5:35 PM

NCP's Majeed Memon alleged that the central government was meting out step motherly treatment to the state and the BJP was attacking Naidu because he has taken the lead in uniting rival parties against it. We will show the BJP its place in the elections. I assure you on behalf of Sharad Pawar ji, Memon stated.

5:34 PM

Lashing out at the prime minister, National Congress chairperson Farooq Abdullah said, Modi has stooped so low. He's making personal attacks against Naidu, who is doing great service for the country. "The Jammu-Srinagar highway is closed for six days. They cannot clear the 30 km road, but they want to rule the country," he added.