TAP TO UNMUTE Modi- Naidu (file photo) | Photo Credit: PTI

Amaravati/New Delhi: The Telugu Desam Party-Bharatiya Janata Party divorce in the government was set in motion on Wednesday night with the TDP deciding to pull out of the Narendra Modi-led NDA cabinet at the Centre over the issue of 'Special Category Status' to Andhra Pradesh. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu last night announced that two of its ministers in the Modi government would submit their resignation on Thursday. However, he did not announce an immediate end to the ties with the BJP.

UPDATES:

*Will continue to be part of NDA, says TDP's Ashok Gajapathi Raju

*The two TDP MPs in the Union Cabinet, AG Raju & YS Choudhary leave after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two have submitted their resignations to the Prime Minister.

* Aviation Minister & TDP MP AG Raju arrives at YS Chowdary's residence. Both the TDP ministers will meet PM Modi at 6 pm according to news agency ANI

*AP CM Naidu explained to the PM about reasons leading to central ministers’ resignation & TDP withdrawing from Union Government: TDP Sources tell news agency ANI

*Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Chandrababu Naidu over the issue pertaining to extending special status to Andhra Pradesh. The two leaders spoke for about 40 minutes- sources told Times Now. The meeting comes a day after Naidu complained that his call to PM Modi was not answered. Later on Wednesday, Naidu announced that two of his TDP ministers would be pulling out of the Union Cabinet.

* A day after Chandrababu Naidu announced that leaders of his party TDP will quit the Cabinet, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar today claimed that YSR Congress and other parties were creating "political pressure" with "false propaganda" on the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh, which may have forced Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to take such a step. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar today claimed that YSR Congress and other parties were creating "political pressure" with "false propaganda" on the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh, which may have forced Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to take such a step.

* Ashok Gajapathy Raju, the TDP leader who is set to quit the NDA government along with his colleague YS Chowdary today said that they would be meeting the Prime Minister to submit their resignations. He said,"We are asking for an appointment with Prime Minister not for having a discussion about this problem, but to handover our resignations and thank him for allowing us to work in his team." He further told ANI, "Let us not get confused. When the state of Andhra Pradesh was made, the people did not want to be treated as a residue material. There were some assurances made. UPA govt made some commitments, now these commitments are the questions."

* Defending the Centre's stand on Bihar's demand for special state, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that India can only grow in NDA's regime. He said, "Nitish's govt has been demanding Bihar's special status for long and we've got a special package which is monetarily as beneficial as special status. But, despite this some people aren't satisfied and to them I will just say that India can only grow in NDA's regime."

Nitish's govt has been demanding Bihar's special status for long & we've got a special package which is monetarily as beneficial as special status. But, despite this some people aren't satisfied & to them I will just say that India can only grow in NDA's regime: Ram Vilas Paswan pic.twitter.com/Oe4L0g5PWo — ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2018

TDP MP CM Ramesh arrived at the Parliament wearing t-shirt with 6 demands for the state of Andhra Pradesh printed in it. #Delhi pic.twitter.com/F5K7qmGgkO — ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2018

*TDP MP CM Ramesh arrived at the Parliament wearing t-shirt with six demands for the state of Andhra Pradesh printed in it.

#BREAKING | TDP and JDU are expressing displeasure now. But, Shiv Sena expressed its grievance much before, said NDA allies are not happy. BJP has 280 numbers according to 2014 results. It won’t be same in 2019: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut speaking to @vaishnavi_1001 #TremorsInNDA pic.twitter.com/02PdvKM0c5 — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 8, 2018

* Shiv Sena has almost reached the similar stage where TDP is in now. Other NDA allies are also thinking of exiting NDA. Their grievances will come out soon: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut

* TDP and JDU are expressing displeasure now. But, Shiv Sena expressed its grievance much before, said NDA allies are not happy. BJP has 280 numbers according to 2014 results. It won’t be same in 2019: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay tells Times Now

* In a new political twist, Janata Dal (United), who is an ally with BJP in Bihar, also expressed discontent with the party. JD(U) senior leader Pavan Varma claimed that Bihar too was denied special category status.

YSRC chief Jaganmohan Reddy reacts on NDA-TDP split, says ‘TDP’s decision to come out of Union Cabinet is a result of pressure exercised by people of the state. It is a victory for people of Andhra Pradesh.Chandrababu Naidu bowed before the aspirations of the people’ #TDPDumpsBJP pic.twitter.com/WGEOyjVJB4 — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 8, 2018

* Reacting on the split between the NDA and TDP in the Union Cabinet, Chandrababu Naidu's rival and the chief of YSR Congress, Jagan Mohan Reddy today hailed the chief minister's decision to ask his party leaders quit the Union Government. "Naidu has put people's apsirations first. TDP's decision is a big victory for the people of Andhra."

#BREAKING | This country is not about two parties. India has a strong regional party system. There is a possibility for a third alternative. Congress and BJP have not lived up to expectations, says Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao, reacting to NDA-TDP split #TDPDumpsBJP pic.twitter.com/ZuyToh84ur — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 8, 2018

* This country is not about two parties. India has a strong regional party system. There is a possibility for a third alternative. Congress and BJP have not lived up to expectations, says Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao, reacting to NDA-TDP split.

The main contention issue is on Sep 8, 2016 a package was announced by the Centre in lieu of special category status. Now, sentiments and emotions of people of the state are above economics: YS Chowdary, MoS, Science & Technology, speaks to @iknoorkaur #TDPDumpsBJP pic.twitter.com/aMroq0sESw — TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) March 8, 2018

* TDP leader Y S Chowdary today said he and his colleague Ashok Gajapathi Raju were stepping down as ministers but would continue to be part of the NDA, a move that was necessitated by "unavoidable circumstances", news agency PTI reported.

* TDP Ministers are expected to meet PM Narendra Modi at 4 PM today. Sources said that leaders are likely to resign the Union Cabinet after the meeting with the Prime Minister.

* Other parties who are sympathetic to our cause have also started protesting on various issues but in support of us. Next step is coming out of the Cabinet, after FM Jaitley's statement yesterday - Jayadev Galla of the TDP

* What Arun Jaitley said yesterday is not good. You are holding hand of the northeastern states but not Andhra Pradesh's. You are giving industrial incentives to them, not to Andhra Pradesh. Why this discrimination? - Naidu

* Our ministers in central Cabinet and BJP ministers in our Cabinet have resigned. However, these ministers worked good in the state. They brought considerable reforms in their departments. I thank them for their services, says Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu in state Assembly

* Now, YSR Congress MPs protest outside Parliament over special category status to Andhra Pradesh

* BJP's Dr Kamineni Srinivas and Pydikondala Manikyala Rao resign as ministers from Andhra Pradesh Cabinet, reports ANI

* Our two ministers in the government will be resigning today. No one from AP was willing to bifurcate, all resources related to generation of employment were in Hyderabad, bifurcation was not done in a scientific way and injustice done with the Andhra Pradesh, says Srinivas of the TDP

* What crisis? This is like match-fixing. They are still pretending to withdraw (from the alliance). What would happen if two ministers resign? If you are serious do it seriously: Renuka Chowdhury, Congress

* TDP MPs continue their protest inside Parliament premises over special category status to Andhra Pradesh

* "It is not good that the TDP has decided to break away from the NDA. Want to appeal to AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu that he must think over this decision once again for the development of people of AP, they should stay with the NDA. Whenever you seek time from PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, they meet. If all states demand special status, it would become very difficult for the government," says Union Minister Ramdas Athawale in Delhi.

* TDP MPs YS Chowdary and Ashok Gajapathi Raju to give a statement in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, respectively.

* Even before the TDP, Uddhav Ji had clarified his stance. Two ministers from TDP are about to resign, BJP should've thought about it. Former NDA leaders had kept the alliance together. Now it's overconfident. 2019 will be challenging for BJP, says Manisha Kayande of the Shiv Sena

* We took the decision after Arun Jaitley's statement yesterday. When we're asking for our right it can't be rejected. Alliance is still under negotiation. We don't want to make it a political fight between TDP-BJP but a fight for the state - Ram Mohan Naidu, TDP MP

* BJP ministers in Andhra Pradesh Cabinet have submitted their resignation in the CM office in Amaravati, says ANI

* Shiv Sena had expected this. Other parties have walked out of the NDA too. Allies no longer have good relations with the BJP. Gradually, their grudges will spill out and eventually they'll walk out of alliance - Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena

Here are 10 things N Chandrababu Naidu said over Centre's refusal to grant Andhra Pradesh a special status

* Decided that our ministers will resign from TDP Cabinet. We will be going to the people and telling them all the things the Centre has done for the state. Since independence till date, no state has received as many favours as that were given to Andhra Pradesh - PVN Madhav, BJP MLC

* It is not a good move but unfortunately due to unavoidable circumstances, we're stepping down as ministers. Our president said that we will continue to be a partner of NDA. We are most likely to meet the PM also - YS Chowdary, Union Minister, TDP

* It is very unfortunate that the Prime Minister couldn’t take the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s phone call on such an important matter. This doesn’t augur well for the interest of the people of Andhra Pradesh, says Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

* We have waited enough, says Andhra IT minister Nara Lokesh said on alliance with the BJP.

* BJP MLA Akula Satyanarayana says Kamineni Srinivas and Pydikondala Manikyala Rao, the two BJP ministers in the state cabinet, will resign today.

* The Congress has termed the TDP's decision to pull out of the NDA government at the Centre as "too little, too late", as it "has done nothing" to protect the interests of Andhra Pradesh in the past four years. “This is too little and too late. The TDP has been an ally of the BJP for four years now and has done nothing to protect the interests of Andhra Pradesh," senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh and former union minister M M Pallam Raju said.

Last night's developments:

Announcing the decision last night, Naidu said the TDP took the “painful decision in the interest of the state” as it was left with “no other option”. "When the intended purpose (of joining the Union Cabinet) has not been served, there is no point in continuing. For me the sole agenda is to safeguard the interests of the state,” he said further at an emergency press briefing. “We have now come out of the NDA. Party-to-party (TDP-BJP ties) issue will be decided later,” he added, hinting that their alliance may continue in the future.

The two ministers in the Modi government are Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary. The TDP has 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, in a tit-for-tat action, the two BJP ministers in the Naidu government – K Srinivasa Rao and T Manikyala Rao – too announced their decision to quit.

Naidu's announcement came barely hours after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told a press conference in New Delhi that funds equivalent to what a special category state receives would be extended to Andhra Pradesh, but drew a line saying politics cannot increase the quantum of money.

Arun Jaitley reaches out to TDP, says ready to give special package to Andhra Pradesh, not special status

Jaitley said giving special category status, as demanded by Naidu, to any state apart from those in the Northeast and three hill provinces was not constitutionally possible after the implementation of the 14th Finance Commission recommendations. For special category status category states, the Centre meets 90 per cent of the funds required in a centrally sponsored scheme as against 60 per cent in case of normal category states. The remaining funds are provided by the state governments.

Naidu said Jaitley's announcement was the "last straw" for the TDP. Naidu had repeatedly insisted on special category state status for Andhra Pradesh following mounting pressure from the opposition.

“Jaitley's statement was nothing but insulting us,” he maintained. “I made every effort to get our issues resolved by the Centre in the last four years. I told them about the people's sentiment and tried to convince them in every manner but to no avail,” he said. “They (Centre) are with a predetermination - there appears to be no way they will help us. Under such inevitable circumstances, we have decided to come out of the NDA,” Naidu said, after a three-hour teleconference with party MPs and state ministers following Jaitley's assertions.

He said the TDP joined the NDA government only to protect the state's interests following its bifurcation but claimed the Centre was taking unilateral decisions without thinking about the solutions to the state's problems. The chief minister said he tried to speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over phone “as a courtesy” to inform him about the decision to pull out of the NDA government. “It is my responsibility as a coalition partner to inform the prime minister about our party decision. My OSD spoke to his OSD but the prime minister did not come on line,” he said.

Naidu hoped the Centre would at least now respect the sentiments of people of Andhra Pradesh.

(With PT inputs)