VIJAYAWADA: The TDP appears headed for a crisis with four of its six Rajya Sabha members defected to the BJP. TDP Rajya Sabha MPs - YS Chowdary, CM Ramesh, TG Venkatesh, joined BJP in presence of BJP Working President JP Nadda. TDP Rajya Sabha MP GM Rao will formally join later as he is unwell.
Of the remaining two TDP Rajya Sabha MPs, Thota Seetharama Lakshmi, and Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar, the former is also reportedly in touch with BJP leaders.
The MPs also sought a merger of the TDP Legislature Party with BJP in the Upper House.
In a day of fast-paced developments, the four MPs led by their Rajya Sabha leader Chowdary- long seen a trusted aide of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu- passed a resolution to this effect, followed by a nod to the proposal by BJP president Amit Shah.
The four MPs have met BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav twice in the recent past and at least one of them held talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah too. Shah, the sources said, entrusted the task of negotiations to his deputy and Secunderabad MP G Kishan Reddy.
The breakaway faction and BJP leaders, including its working president J P Nadda, met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and urging him to approve the merger.
Following the defection of TDP MPs, party president N Chandrababu Naidu said, "We fought with BJP only for Special Category Status & state's interests. We sacrificed Central Ministers for Special Status, condemn attempts of BJP to weaken TDP. Crisis is not new to the party. Leaders & cadre have nothing to be nervous about."
The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister is vacationing in Europe as the fresh crisis hit his party.
He spoke to his party leaders over the phone as they sought to put up a brave front, saying that such troubles are not new to the organisation.
Making the announcement at the BJP headquarters, Nadda told reporters that the decision of TDP MPs, three of whom were present, to join the party is due to their belief in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda of development and inclusiveness.
Nadda was joined by the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha Thaawarchand Gehlot and senior party functionary Bhupender Yadav as the saffron party welcomed the Andhra leaders into its fold.
Their induction will strengthen the party in Andhra, Nadda said.
Speaking to reporters, Chowdary, a minister in the first Modi government before the TDP walked out of the BJP-led NDA, the state's development can be achieved by cooperation and not confrontation, in an apparent dig at TDP chief Naidu, who has been at loggerheads with the central government over implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act.
"The mood of the nation is clearly shown in the results of the Lok Sabha elections. We decided that we should join in this exercise of building our great nation," he said.
Earlier in their letter to RS Chairman Naidu, the party MPs said the Legislature Party of Telugu Desam in Rajya Sabha met under the leadership of Chowdary and Legislature party's deputy leader Ramesh.
"Inspired and encouraged by the impeccable leadership of Shri Narendra Modi ji and the developmental policies being pursued by him in the overall interest of the nation, we have decided to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with immediate effect under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India," they said.
The TDP leaders said that after considerable deliberations, it has been resolved to merge the Legislature Party of the TDP with the BJP with immediate effect.
The TDP Legislature party also wrote to Shah to accept the merger and convey his acceptance through a resolution to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The merger will give a boost to the saffron party in the Upper House as the ruling NDA does not have a majority there.
The TDP has three members in the Lok Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members and the BJP is the single largest party with 71 MPs.
The BJP, following the recent Lok Sabha elections, is keen on emerging as the main Opposition party in Andhra Pradesh and luring Rajya Sabha members of the TDP may well be the first step in that direction.
Besides, the BJP-led NDA, which is in a minority in the Upper House, will be glad to bolster its numbers though it is certain to gain a majority in the House next year.
The defection of the MPs is likely to open the floodgates in the TDP, which finds itself in an existential crisis following the humiliating loss in the recent Assembly elections.
With party chief N Chandrababu Naidu yet to recover from the shocking defeat and age too catching up with him, and his son Lokesh, who himself was defeated in the Assembly polls, failing to step up, several TDP leaders appear to be of the view that continuance in the party could be political suicide for them.
Far more important, however, are their business and personal interests. Of the four TDP MPs, Sujana Chowdary is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate for an alleged Rs 6,000-crore bank fraud. Similarly, at least two other MPs including CM Ramesh, have business interests, involving contracts of major works worth hundreds of crores.
With the Jagan Mohan Reddy government making it clear that it is going to go for reverse tendering and scrutinise all major contracts, they fear they might lose lucrative deals or in the worst case scenario, find themselves in the dock.
When contacted, a senior TDP leader, on condition of anonymity, told TNIE, "The MPs are looking towards the BJP for political survival and to protect their business interests. Had the TDP sailed with the saffron party this situation would not have arisen."
In a related development, several former MLAs of the TDP belonging to the Kapu community met in Kakinada this morning and reportedly discussed their future course of action. It is learnt a majority of them have expressed their willingness to join the BJP.
BJP leaders, including Muralidhar Rao, have recently hinted at defections from the TDP but when contacted, state BJP leaders refused to comment, saying any statement at this moment might jeopardise their strategy.
The BJP could not win even a single Lok Sabha or Assembly seat in the recent elections in Andhra Pradesh.
(With inputs from PTI and Online Desk)