BJP ministers to resign from AP cabinet

Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in Andhra Pradesh have announced their resignation from state cabinet, moments after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ministers to resign from the Union Cabinet.

Soon after Naidu's press conference, BJP MLA Akula Satyanarayana spoke to media and announced that the two BJP ministers in the state cabinet, namely Kamineni Srinivas and Paidikondala Manikyala Rao, will resign on Thursday morning.

He said both Srinivas and Manikyala Rao would not attend the cabinet meeting to be held on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Krishna Sagar Rao on Wednesday called Naidu's announcement a 'political opportunism'.

"BJP believes what has happened tonight is a classic case of political opportunism and a case of compulsive politics," Rao told ANI.

He also called Naidu's statement, that the central government was not standing up to support Andhra Pradesh, "a blatant lie".

Earlier on Wednesday night, Naidu directed two Telugu Desam Party ministers to resign from Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led cabinet amid the growing strain in ties between his party and the Bharatiya Janata Party over alleged neglect of the state in the Union Budget.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y. S. Chowdary are the two ministers who have been asked to resign from their respective offices.

"This is our right. The Centre is not fulfilling the promises it made," said Naidu, who has been urging the Centre to give 'special category status' to Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu's reaction came after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said no to chief minister's demand earlier in the day.