VIJAYAWADA: BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav on Saturday indicated that the Centre and the party may soon offer an olive branch to TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and convince him not to walk out of the NDA. “There seems to be some kind of unhappiness, we will talk it out. TDP is an old ally of the BJP. We will talk it out with them and will tell them we are committed to the interests of Andhra Pradesh,” he told a news agency.
His remarks assume significance coming as they do on the eve of the Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party meeting, where Naidu is expected to take some sort of a decision on the continuance of the party’s alliance with the BJP. Naidu and his colleagues have upped the ante against the Modi government following meagre allocations to Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget.
The State desperately needs funds for the construction of the capital city Amaravati, Polavaram irrigation project and to bridge revenue deficit among other things.
Facing the ire of the Opposition for failing to get special category status for the State or ensure speedy implementation of assurances given in the AP Reorganisaton Act, several TDP leaders are of the view that the BJP could be a liability in the next Assembly elections and are reportedly pitching for a ‘divorce’ advising Naidu that now is the time for it. Some others, though, are looking beyond 2019 suggesting discretion could be the better part of valour.
Interestingly, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, who attended the golden jubilee celebrations of a government college in Guntur on Saturday, was all praise for the Union Budget and described it as farmer-friendly.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who was also present, refrained from making any comment on the budget.But having gone to town expressing severe displeasure with the Centre, the TDP would need a face-saver if it has to back down from the brink, which is exactly what Ram Madhav appears to be hinting at. He told ANI that the BJP was not only to committed to addressing the TDP's concerns on budget proposals but also other issues of concern.
“We will convince Chandrababu Naidu not to think of severing ties with BJP or NDA,” he said, describing the TDP as a valuable ally.Given the fact that the TDP is its biggest ally, the top brass of the BJP, sources said, do not see any advantage in losing it ahead of the elections. Further indication to this effect came Saturday when reports surfaced that incumbent State party president Haribabu, who is on good terms with the TDP, is likely to be retained. BJP's state vice-president P Kapileswaraiah told TNIE that there is a 90 per cent chance of retaining Haribabu. He said the party leadership believes it’s better not to disturb the present set up in an election year.
The party’s state core committee meeting is likely to be held in Vijayawada on February 10 to chalk out future strategy and the state executive committee may announce Haribabu as the state president around the same time. Haribabu, when contacted, said he hadn't heard of any reports on a decision on state party chief's post. “There have been talks in the party for having a full-fledged state committee for some time, but for the last two years, the ad hoc committee has been doing okay,” he said. Meanwhile, fireworks between the TDP and the BJP subsided with just one or two leaders making some noises.
TDP was part of Budget decision-making process, then why the theatrics now, asks Jagan
NELLORE: Ridiculing Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for expressing displeasure over the Union Budget, YSRC president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday said the TDP being a coalition partner of the NDA should have been a part of the decision-making process.
Addressing a large gathering at South Mopur in Nellore district as part of his padayatra, the Leader of Opposition said, “Chandrababu Naidu expressing displeasure means nothing as the Budget, before being presented, was approved by the Union Cabinet in which the TDP has two Ministers.”
Saying Naidu’s “theatrics” would not work anymore, Jagan Mohan Reddy questioned what had happened to the “interests” of the state when the TDP chief agreed to let go of Special Category Status in favour of the “so-called special package”.