After ruling TDP, opposition YSR Cong Party applies pressure, to get its MPs to resign from parliament on April 6 if the centre did not grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh before the end of the budget session.

Politics in Andhra Pradesh is heating up on the special status – read cheating of Andhra Pradesh – as the two principal political rivals – ruling Telugu Desam Party and the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) trying to outdo each other on expression of extreme disappointment and anger against the central government.

While ruling TDP hints at leaving the NDA alliance in what could be a telling comment on coalition politics and the attitude of the BJP, the YSRCP (rumoured to be getting cosy with the BJP) has to negate the perception gaining ground that it was supping with the “enemy”. Which is why, YSRCP president YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday declared that all his MPs will resign from parliament on April 6, if special category status was not granted to AP before the budget session ended.

Meanwhile the TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu too is breathing fire and his anger is considered not good for NDA, especially after Shiv Sena made threatening noises of going alone in 2019 general elections. With the youth and the farmer angry with the central government, ally trouble is something that the BJP can ill afford.

The YSRCP, which was seen cosying up to the BJP with its laudatory references to the budget, GST and demonetisation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, at this juncture cannot afford to be seen as backtracking on the special category status, which would guarantee funds to build a new state from scratch and getting compensation for the sustained losses and deficit financing that the state had to undergo on account of bifurcation.

Naidu alleges that the Centre had completely ignored AP for the past four years and was wondering whether it was proper for him to continue in the alliance.

But on Tuesday it was the turn of Reddy to apply pressure.

Addressing a public meeting at Kaligiri village in Nellore, Reddy announced that his party will wait till the end of the budget session.

“If the Centre did not grant SCS to AP, all the YSRCP MPs would resign to their posts on the last day,” Jaganmohan Reddy said.

‘Our Party MPs will quit on April 6 if the SCS is accorded and as a run-up to the deadline, we have a drawn up an action plan to mount pressure on the SCS and will hold state wide protests and lay siege of Collector offices in all 13 districts on March 1,” Reddy said.

The campaign for SCS with the slogan, ‘Hodha mana hakku, Package tho mosapovoddu’ (SCS is our right, do not be cheated by Special Package) will be a nation-wide one, he said addressing a public meeting as part of the Praja Sankalpa Yatra here on Tuesday.

The budget session of Parliament would conclude on April 6.

The state has been observing the “dramas” of TDO leaders and its MPs for the last 10 days, but can realise that they are just putting the show to fool the people, Reddy said adding that he and his party will fight for the rights of Andhra Pradesh and its people.

“Chandrababu Naidu government has been always on the path of compromise and he has been placing personal interests ahead of personal interests, “ Reddy alleged.