Naidu in Delhi Again, JDU’s Sanjay Jha Meets FM; BJP Allies Press for 'Special Help' Ahead of Budget

Both the key allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Janata Dal United (JDU), are eagerly looking at next week’s Union Budget 2024 for getting funds for their states of Andhra Pradesh and Bihar respectively. Both partners are not insisting on a ‘special status’ but for a ‘special package’, government sources have told News18.

TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will be in Delhi again on Tuesday on a two-day visit ahead of the Union Budget. He was in the national capital earlier this month, too, when he met all senior ministers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP President JP Nadda. On Monday, JDU national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha also met Nirmala Sitharaman.

The TDP and the JDU have placed their wish-list before the senior ministers, desiring adequate funds be allocated to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar in the upcoming Budget for key projects and schemes. “We had a meaningful discussion on many important issues related to Bihar’s development and public interest. Heartfelt thanks for your positive response,” Jha posted on ‘X’ (previously Twitter) after meeting Sitharaman on Monday.

The JDU has recently passed a political resolution asking for a special status or special package for Bihar. “If we get special help from the Centre over the next five years, Bihar will become a developed state. The Prime Minister also wants that Bihar should become a developed state. We are very hopeful for special help,” Jha told News18 last week. He said the term ‘special status’ or ‘special package’ does not matter, if the state is compensated in another way by way of ‘special help’.

Naidu has also been seeking a special package from the Centre for his signature ‘Amravati’ new state capital project and the Pollavaram dam project, apart from special assistance for the backward regions of the state. Naidu had presented a detailed memorandum to Sitharaman during his last Delhi visit, outlining the state’s financial requirements.

The TDP has 16 MPs while the JDU has 12 MPs in the Lok Sabha currently.