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Amid the Opposition's charge that Andhra Pradesh got a raw deal in this Budget, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has heaped praise on the Narendra Modi government and said the Budget aims to achieve the goal of making India a developed country by 2047. Mr Naidu also said the government's focus in this Budget syncs with the TDP's 10 principles of growth.
The Andhra Chief Minister, whose TDP is the BJP's key ally at the Centre, was addressing the media ahead of the Assembly polls in Delhi. Targeting the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Mr Naidu said the Delhi government model has "failed" and people should vote for a party that can lead to inclusive growth.
"Politicians have to always think about today, tomorrow and the future. A government with good public policy can transform society," he said, describing the AAP government as a "half-engine sarkar". Delhi, he said, needs a double-engine government. Double-engine government is a term the BJP uses in Assembly poll campaigns to stress that the BJP in power at both the state and Centre levels would ensure all-round development.
Mr Naidu said people are now worried about staying in Delhi because of the "weather and political pollution". Performance and better living standards are becoming more relevant now than ideology, he said, adding that "poor people in Delhi would have to think if they want to live permanently in slums".
On Budget 2025, he said TDP fully supports the Budget proposals because they aim to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047. "We are in agreement with them. We are happy. It syncs with our 10 principles of growth," he said.
Earlier, Mr Naidu had thanked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting a "pro-people and progressive budget". "This budget reflects the vision for a Viksit Bharat under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji. It prioritises the welfare of women, the poor, youth, and farmers, while also identifying six key sectors for growth over the next five years. The budget marks a significant step towards national prosperity. It serves as a comprehensive and inclusive blueprint, promising a prosperous future for our country. Additionally, it brings tax relief for the middle class, the backbone of our country's economy. I welcome this budget."
Mr Naidu's TDP is the BJP's key ally at the Centre. Its 16 MPs, along with the JDU's 12, helped the BJP form the government after it fell short of a majority in the general election last year. But while Bihar got several gifts in this Budget, expected because state polls are due there, there were no big announcements for Andhra. This prompted the Congress and TDP's arch-rival YSR Congress Party to take swipes.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "Bihar appears to have got a bonanza of announcements. It is natural since elections are due there later in the year. But why has the other pillar of the NDA, namely Andhra Pradesh, been so cruelly ignored?"
The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress said Mr Naidu failed to secure Andhra's due share. Senior party leader B Rajendranath Reddy said the Chief Minister had "failed" to mount pressure on the Centre to secure more for Andhra and the advantage went to Bihar.
"Chandrababu should explain why Bihar, with 12 MPs, received more sops while the TDP, with 16 MPs, lagged," Rajendranath Reddy told the media. "With your support, the central government has been formed, but what did Andhra Pradesh get? You are neither telling us what we received nor expressing sadness over not receiving anything," he said.
Mr Naidu also addressed an election rally in Delhi's Shahdara to rally support for the BJP. The gathering had many Telugu speakers and the TDP chief addressed them in their language. He said the BJP's win is the need of the hour.
Mr Naidu also drew a parallel between his arch-rival Jagan Mohan Reddy and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal. Latching on to the BJP's 'Sheeshmahal' line of attack, the TDP chief criticised lavish expenditures on the Chief Minister's homes at the cost of public welfare. He urged the people of Delhi to remove AAP from power the way Andhra Pradesh had voted Jagan Reddy out.