Dattatreya from TS, Chowdary from AP get calls from Modi

Hyderabad, Nov 8: Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Bandaru Dattatreya and Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party leader YS Chowdary finally received calls from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, inviting them to join the central cabinet slated to be expanded on Sunday. Chowdary is from Andhra Pradesh and Dattatreya is from Telangana. Modi is believed to have taken note of Telangana being unrepresented in the first cabinet. AP is already being represented by TDP MP from Vizianagaram, P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who is holding the Civil Aviation portfolio. Nirmala Seetharaman, in-charge of Commerce and Industries, was elected from AP to the Rajya Sabha. Soon after getting the call, Chowdary met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He is a first time Rajya Sabha member. Later he told media persons he was prepared to take any responsibility assigned by the Prime Minister. He said he would strive for all-round development of the state and for turning its deficit budget into a surplus one. Meanwhile, Dattatreya too said he would work for the development of Telangana. He represents Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency. A senior BJP leader with a strong RSS base, he was a central minister of state for railways in the previous NDA government.