Deriding the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for the no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech late Friday night on the floor of the Parliament said that the issues raised by TDP "were a domestic problem but the platform used is the Parliament."
"I had told Chandrababu Naidu that he is getting stuck with YSR," said Modi on the Parliament floor amidst ruckus by TDP MPs who could be heard in the background as the PM gave his two-hour-long speech. "Now I'm seeing that the problem is domestic but the platform being used is the Parliament," he added.
"We gave Andhra a special package, instead of the special status, which the CM of Andhra Pradesh had accepted with full knowledge. Now, you (Naidu) are coming under the influence of YSR Congress party," said Modi.
The Prime Minister was referring to YSRCP leader Jagan Mohan Reddy's campaign for the special status.
While the Prime Minister was critical of Naidu, he was all praises for Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. "I remember very well how they used to fight in the first year of bifurcation, we would have to sit with them to sort the issues out. The Governor tried to sort out issues, I did. All of TDPs efforts were against TRS, we tried to placate them but TRS has shown maturity and has focused on development," said Modi.
PM Narendra modi @narendramodi sir himself accepted that Telangana is no1 state which is growing faster and appreciated CM #KCR sir leadership. Jai KCR Jai TRS Jai Jai Telangana.@KTRTRS @RaoKavitha @sharathjagruthi @vinodboianpalli @balkasumantrs @TRS_Denmark @trsharish pic.twitter.com/xJuQ20Hioz
— Shyam Babu Akula (@shyamakula) July 20, 2018
At one point of his speech, agitated TDP MPs got down to the well of the parliament, and to placate them the PM said, “Telugu meri maa hai."
Following PM Modi's speech, Kesineni Srinivas, TDP MP from Vijayawada sought half an hour to respond to the PM's speech but was granted only five minutes by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan.
"I need half an hour, I have the right to reply to all of the false data and points the PM has said on the floor of the house," pleaded Kesineni. When the Speaker insisted only five minutes would be granted to the TDP MP, he tried to bargain again for the time to give a rebuttal."The PM spoke for two hours and you are giving only giving me 5 minutes to respond?" And in the end, the BJP won the no-confidence comfortably with 325 votes against 126.