Centre went out of its way to help Andhra Pradesh, says BJP; rejects Chandrababu Naidu's charge that Modi government neglected state

New Delhi: The BJP, on Wednesday night, rejected Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu’s charge that the Modi government neglected the state, saying the Centre not only fulfilled all its obligations, but also went out of its way to help the state. BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said the Modi dispensation worked to ensure that Andhra Pradesh got full resources in the infrastructure and industrial sector after the bifurcation of the state. His remarks came soon after Naidu, in a late night press conference, announced that two of his party’s central ministers—Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary—would resign from the government on Thursday. [caption id=“attachment_4379625” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AP[/caption] Political parties in Andhra Pradesh have been raking up the demand for special category status for the state without acknowledging that the Centre has offered the state all benefits without giving this tag, which has become redundant after the 14th Finance Commission report, Rao said. Special category status has ceased to exist, he added. Another BJP leader said that all is still not lost between his party and the TDP and they will see how things unfold in the coming days. Naidu’s move is aimed at projecting his party as a champion of the state’s interest as he is facing a lot of heat from the opposition YSR Congress, the BJP leader added. Click here for LIVE updates on Andhra Pradesh special status row