New Delhi: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Union Minister Y.S. Chowdary on Tuesday accused its former ally BJP of "violating the principles of friendship and political morality" and trying to expand in Andhra Pradesh at the expense of his party.
Initiating a short duration discussion on Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Chowdaty said: "The BJP took a U-turn and violated the principles of friendship and political morality. Their sole aim is to destroy the TDP for their own expansion. That is why we parted ways with a heavy heart."
The TDP was a coalition partner in the ruling National Democratic alliance (NDA) led by the BJP for four years, and severed its ties with the BJP following the Centre's refusal to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.
Chowdary said there was a "disconnect" between the words and deeds of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had "not once, but thrice during his election campaign in 2014 promised special category status for 10 years for the residual state of Andhra Pradesh.
"Now the government is misleading the people of Andhra and the media by saying that the 14th Finance Commission had recommended that there should be no special category status for any state henceforth. This is far from truth. This is opposite of what the government has told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply," Chowdary said.
"We are not begging, we are not asking for any favours. We are asking for what is rightfully ours as per the AP Reorganisation Act," he added.