Kadapa steel plant: TDP MPs meet President Kovind

 New Delhi : Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs met President Ram Nath Kovind here on Wednesday to submit a memorandum seeking expedition of the integrated steel plant in Andhra Pradesh's Kadapa district.

The delegation, led by former civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, called on President Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan earlier in the day.

"A delegation comprising MPs and MLAs of Telugu Desam Party, led by Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju, called on #PresidentKovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan," a tweet posted by the President's official handle read.

The Andhra Pradesh government and the Centre have been at loggerheads over the past few months, with the former demanding the Centre to set up an integrated steel plant in Kadapa, as promised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act in 2014, also known as the Telangana Act.

However, the Centre ruled out the feasibility of such a proposal in an affidavit to the Supreme Court.

The Centre recently withdrew its decision to establish the steel plant, claiming that the project was financially unviable.

However, the Andhra Pradesh government had argued against this statement by the Centre, saying that it was a viable project for at least 15 years.

In this regard, TDP MP C.M. Ramesh staged a 10-day hunger strike in Kadapa, demanding the Centre to set up an integrated steel plant here.