Hyderabad: Outspoken Member of Parliament J C Diwakar Reddy created a storm over the CM’s Relief Fund on Hudhud cyclone in the Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDPP) meeting held on Saturday. Diwakar Reddy, who is reported to be sulking in the recent past, refused to contribute Rs 1 crore to the CM’s Relief Fund.

According to sources, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu reminded the MPs about the commitment they had made to contribute Rs 1 crore. Some of them have not yet contributed, he said. Diwakar Reddy, according to sources, informed Naidu that he cannot give the money as he has to spend it on drinking water schemes in his constituency. But Naidu, it is said, told him that he cannot go back on his commitment. However, Reddy, it is said, refused to react to this.

It may be mentioned here that the rift between Diwakar Reddy and TDP has been widening for past sometime. Recently, Reddy had made certain scathing remarks against the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister in general saying that the MPs and MLAs did not have any role in governance. All decisions were being taken by the two top functionaries.

Political circles said that remark was aimed at Naidu. However, Naidu also chose not to make an issue of this at the meeting and directed all the MPs to mount pressure on the Union government on the fulfilment of promises, including special status to AP made in the AP Reorganisation Act. Interestingly, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ashokgajapati Raju commented that if the State does not get special category status then the purpose of being a minister in the Union cabinet would not be served.