Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, at a massive public meeting here on Monday evening, played videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “expose” what he called his betrayal to the state on granting special category status.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President alleged that Modi failed to fulfil the promise made as the Prime Ministerial candidate of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the presence of Lord Venkateswara.

Advertisement

The meeting, attended by thousands of people, was organised at Sri Venkateswara University Grounds, the same location from where then Prime Ministerial candidate Modi had addressed a gathering four years ago.

In the video clippings, Modi is heard praising M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was translating his speech into Telugu, for extracting the promise of special status from then UPA government. He then told the gathering that after coming to power, he will fulfil the promise.

Naidu also played video clipping of Modi’s speech at another election meeting, where he assured the people that after coming to power, he will build new state capital on such a scale that the national capital Delhi will look small before it.

The Chief Minister also showed to people another video of Modi’s speech which he delivered after laying the foundation stone of new state capital Amaravati on October 22, 2015. At that meeting, Modi had vowed to fulfil all the commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

“Is it not betrayal,” Naidu repeatedly asked people reminding them of the promises made by Modi during the 2014 election campaign.

Ruling out any compromise on the demand for special category status, he declared that TDP will continue its fight.

Claiming that TDP had joined NDA for the state’s interests, Naidu said the TDP always fought to get what was promised at the time of the state’s bifurcation in 2014.

The TDP pulled out of NDA in March over the government’s refusal to accord special status.