NEW DELHI: In his second visit to the capital ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday late evening. According to sources, the meeting was to push for increased fund allocation for the state in the upcoming Union Budget.In his two-day visit to the capital, the chief of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the largest ally in the BJP-led NDA government, is expected to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and other ministers.Speaking to , TDP’s Parliamentary leader Krishna Devarayalu said that the party is hopeful that their demands will be taken positively.“The meetings will be mostly surrounding the Budget. We are part of the NDA and they have invited us to discuss issues relating to the Budget. We are hopeful that the demands made by the CM will be taken positively,” said Devarayalu.This is Naidu’s second visit to Delhi in nearly a fortnight. On July 4, he met the prime minister and presented a seven-point development agenda aimed at addressing the state’s post-bifurcation challenges. He also sought central financial assistance to various sectors based on promises made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APR), 2014. Key among Naidu’s demands were funds for the Polavaram irrigation project, special assistance for backward regions, and support for the development of the new capital, Amaravati.The CM’s visit comes a day after JD(U) national working president Sanjay Kumar Jha met Sitharaman and sought higher funds for Bihar in the upcoming Budget.TDP and JD(U) are key constituents of the BJP-led NDA. TDP is leveraging its coalition partnership to advocate for Andhra Pradesh’s financial needs ahead of Union Budget 2024.During his previous trip also, Naidu held talks with Shah and other Union ministers, including Sitharaman.
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