Despite Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s assertion in the Lok Sabha that the government was ready to debate any matter, including the no-trust motion moved by the TDP, the ruling BJP’s friend-turned-foe believes the Narendra Modi dispensation lacks intent. Speaking to BusinessLine , TDP MP and former Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi said the government is neither interested in letting the no-confidence motion be introduced, nor in granting special category status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh. Excerpts from the interview:

The government says it is confident of its numbers, and yet, the two motions for no-confidence could not be taken up today, ostensibly because there was no order. What is your assessment?

The main issue is that of intent, of whether you want to get something done or not. We have seen many heated moments in the past. We have seen pepper spray being used in Parliament. In the Lok Sabha, there was a no-confidence motion against Vajpayee ji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee). The PM lost by a single vote [in 1999]. And yet, the motion was moved, debated and passed. If you have the intention, you can ascertain your strength.

You’re saying that the government does not intend to debate the motion. But the Home Minister declared in the House that any issue, including the no-confidence motion, can be discussed provided there is order.

If the intention was what the Home Minister said it was, then we should have seen appropriate conduct on the floor of the House. We were eagerly waiting, our MPs were waiting and when the Home Minister got up, we had really hoped that there will be an announcement. It is not an individual pressing for a demand; it is a substantive motion. So you look at the precedents and gauge the sense of the House. But quite clearly, the government’s intention is not what the Home Minister says it is. They have the numbers, so why not let the voting take place? Let there be a division [of numbers].

It seems that the TDP stayed on in the NDA till your rival (the YSR Congress) moved a motion for no-confidence. What were you hoping from the BJP?

Let us be clear, when the State (Andhra Pradesh) was divided, the Lok Sabha witnessed pandemonium and pepper sprays. The division of the State was forced on us and that was not done by the BJP. The feeling in Andhra Pradesh is that the national parties divided us. It is their responsibility to ensure that the State gets its due. We were hoping that the commitments to the people of AP would be fulfilled and it became clear that they were not.

But the Centre has reiterated its commitment to AP. If it is not your political rival’s conduct, what really precipitated your departure from the NDA?

The people of AP are working very hard. The State has seen high growth; the State government has motivated farmers to give land and institutions have come up. When we, on our own, have achieved so much, you (the Centre), cannot then say that what is due to us will be given after ten years. Certain commitments have been made and they are not being honoured. This is the reason why I feel the motion is not being debated. Because, if you have a discussion, there will be clarity. But they (the Centre) do not want clarity. They want to confuse the issue.

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