New Delhi : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Ministers -- Nitin Gadkari, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, and Piyush Goyal -- in Delhi.
"Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri @ncbn, met Prime Minister @narendramodi", a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.
After storming to power in Andhra Pradesh, this is the first meeting of CM Naidu with the Union cabinet ministers. He had earlier attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing in ceremony. The TDP is also a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
The meeting also draws assumes significance as Naidu has declared rebuilding Amaravati, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh.
The project is expected to require central assistance and clearance.Naidu on Wednesday released a white paper on the Amaravathi capital region. He said that the name "Amaravati" was mooted by Ramoji Rao after research.
"Amaravathi has a specific chamber in the British Museum. We are bringing back Amaravathi as the name of the capital, which was previously the capital of the Satavahana dynasty. Nobody anticipated the state's bifurcation. Ramoji Rao suggested this name, and it was put to a public poll.
Everyone suggested Amaravathi as the capital. We collected soil and water from across the state for laying the foundation stone. Even soil brought from Parliament was mixed in the Amaravathi capital region on foundation day. PM Modi laid the foundation stone for Amaravathi. Amaravathi is the central point of the state," the Andhra chief minister said.
Pertinent to note that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister is also seeking a special status for the state, which has been a persistent political issue. The support of the TDP, which secured 16 seats in Andhra Pradesh in the Lok Sabha polls, is crucial for the NDA to remain in power. The TDP fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the BJP and the Jana Sena, wherein, the TDP bagged 16 seats, the BJP three and the Jana Sena two, taking the total tally of the NDA to 21 out of 25 seats.
The alliance also swept the Andhra Pradesh assembly polls, after which TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in as the Chief Minister with Jana Sena Chief and actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan taking the charge as the Deputy CM.