Two berths in kitty, TDP keen on spl package for Amravati capital project

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, June 9

Having secured 16 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha to become the most crucial ally of the BJP in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) appears to have chosen to focus on a financial package from the Centre for Andhra Pradesh. Despite being the second-largest coalition partner in the NDA, only two TDP MPs were administered oath as ministers in the Modi 3.0 Government on Sunday. TDP MP K Ram Mohan Naidu was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister while another TDP MP Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani took oath as a Minister of State. The party is likely to be given two more ministerial berths in the next Cabinet expansion, sources said. The son-in-law of late Telugu actor and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister NT Rama Rao who founded the TDP IN 1982, N Chandrababu Naidu is known to be a pragmatic politician. He is scheduled to take oath on June 12 as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, which lost its capital Hyderabad to Telangana following bifurcation of the state.

As the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, he needs huge funds to fulfil his dream of building a new state capital at Amaravati. The TDP has reportedly asked for a special package of Rs 5 lakh crore for Andhra Pradesh.

Outgoing CM and YSR Congress Party leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s plan to build three capitals of Andhra Pradesh – one each to headquarter the state legislature (at Amravati), executive (at Visakhapatnam) and judiciary (at Kurnool) – led to legal wrangles and confusion over the issue, putting Amaravati project on the backburner.

Now that the TDP is back in power in Andhra Pradesh along with Jan Sena Party and the BJP with a huge majority, winning 164 seats together in the 175-member House, Naidu has got an opportunity to revive his dream project of building a new capital at Amaravati.