VIJAYAWADA: The issue of divided opinion on political and other developmental issues among the top leadership of the State BJP unit seems to have come to the fore once again over the prospects of an alliance between the TDP and the saffron party. With the State party leaders making different statements, the central leadership has taken cognisance of the issue and is in the process of ensuring that the saffron brigade toes the line of the party.
After the recent admission of regret by TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu over severing ties with the BJP last year, party’s State co-in-charge Sunil Deodhar reacted sharply and categorically stated that the doors were permanently shut on any kind of alliance with the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister. He further noted that the message from BJP national president Amit Shah was also loud and clear that there was no question of any more alliance with Naidu.
However, the comments of Rajya Sabha MP YS Chowdary (Sujana Chowdary) seem to have sent ripples in the party. Sujana, on being asked at a programme in Krishna district on Tuesday, if the BJP would accept if Naidu were to make a proposal of working together, said, “If they have any such idea, they have to talk to our central leadership. If there is any proposal, we will have to talk to the central leadership for the decision.” Though Sujana did not state that the central leadership was open to the proposal, if made, it triggered a debate within the party as to how the MP could say so after it was decided to not work with the TDP anymore.
“The statement of Sunil Deodhar is the line of the party and Amit Shah. So, there is no question of taking a proposal, if made by the TDP, to the central leadership. We are examining the different statements by the new entrants, who joined the party from the TDP,” a top-rung leader explained.
In fact, a few members of the State unit have also expressed dismay over the turncoat MPs being given importance on a par with other leaders who have been working for the party for a very long time.
“Obviously, there will be some discontent if someone suddenly tries to plays a lead role. But, we don’t think it is intentional. Since they are new to the party, it will take some time to understand how things work here. For us, our party is above everybody, and every leader has to follow the party’s stand no matter what,” another leader, requesting anonymity, asserted.
In the past too, the party’s views on various issues, including reverse tendering of Polavaram project, were divided. The party, in one of the core committee meetings post elections, also decided to be on the same page as it noticed that the statements made by the leaders were different. However, the party leadership is yet to act on it. “It has come to our attention that here are different views being aired, and we are in the process of rectifying it,” the top-rung leader added.