In a response to the open letter penned by BJP chief, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday termed his letter as an insult to people of the state.

The chief of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), spoke at the state Legislative Assembly and alleged that the BJP chief tried to misrepresent the facts, hurting the sentiments of the Telugu people.

Defending his party’s decision to quit the BJP-led NDA, Naidu said this was done to respect the feelings of people, who were feeling betrayed by the Central government. He said the NDA did not discharge its responsibility towards its ally and the state.

The TDP leader alleged that BJP had done graver injustice to Andhra Pradesh than the Congress. He said while Congress bifurcated the state in an unjust manner, the BJP failed to fulfil the commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Naidu’s reaction came hours after BJP released a letter written by Shah in which he stated that TDP’s decision to quit the NDA was unilateral “guided wholly and solely by political considerations instead of development concerns”.

Earlier today, in the open letter, Shah said, “This decision is both unfortunate and unilateral. It (decision) will be construed as being guided wholly and solely by political considerations instead of developmental concerns.”

“This is in direct contrast to the Congress Party, which not only mismanaged the bifurcation but also showed zero sensitivity towards the Telugu people…”

“You may recall that during the previous Lok Sabha and in the Rajya Sabha, when your party did not have adequate representation, it was the BJP that set the agenda and ensured that justice is done to the hardworking Telugu people in both the states,” Shah added in the letter.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) pulled out of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance on 16 March over its demand of special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

A day after the TDP had exited the NDA, Andhra Pradesh BJP legislators held a crucial meeting with Amit Shah to chalk out the party’s strategy in the state with just a little over a year to go for assembly polls.

The delegation of legislators was led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao, who hails from Andhra Pradesh.

Incidentally, barely hours after TDP quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Rao had termed it a “time opportunity” for the saffron party to make inroads into Andhra Pradesh.

On March 8, the TDP had pulled its two ministers — Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary — out of the Narendra Modi government but had stopped short of walking out of the alliance.

The TDP is the first party to leave the coalition since it came to power at the Centre in 2014.

(With agency inputs)