VIJAYAWADA: TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu left for New Delhi on Thursday to attend the NDA’s Parliamentary Party meeting on Friday. It is expected that another round of talks will be held to discuss matters pertaining to the post of Lok Sabha speaker and Cabinet portfolios. Additionally, Naidu, who is likely to take oath as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on June 12, may invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the event during the meeting.
While negotiations are going on with the TDP demanding for the Lok Sabha Speaker post and five minister berths, it appears that the BJP is reluctant to give the Speaker post and may allocate the Deputy Speaker post to the yellow party, besides allotting the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministers of State for Urban Development and Finance.
However, when contacted by TNIE, a senior TDP leader said talks are going on and the outcome is not known to others as discussions were held between top brass of the two parties. As of now, nothing has been finalised. Clarity may emerge after the talks on Friday.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that in case the TDP gets the Deputy Speaker post, Bapatla MP T Krishna Prasad, a retired IPS officer, may be the choice. If not, Amalapuram MP GM Harish, son of former Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi, might be chosen.
Earlier in the day, Naidu held a meeting with the newly-elected MPs and made some interesting comments.
While a few MPs, who were present in Amaravati, attended the Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party (TDPP) meeting physically, others participated virtually.
He congratulated the MPs on their victory and directed them all to attend the NDA meeting in New Delhi on Friday.
Admitting that he has been previously accused of not prioritising party affairs and politics when in power, Naidu is believed to have informed the TDP MPs that they will witness a different administration in the days to come.
“You will see a reformed Naidu henceforth,” the TDP supremo told the MPs and assured them that they will be given ample time to bring issues to his notice.
“There will be no bureaucratic rule in the State,” he asserted.
Stressing that he will pay attention to every issue going forward, Naidu said party activists risked their lives for him and raised ‘Jai TDP’ and ‘Jai Chandrababu’ slogans even when they were threatened at knife-point. He appreciated them for not succumbing to the pressure of the ruling party in the past five years.
Further, he advised the newly-elected MPs to use their position for the benefit of the State.
Accusing the YSRC MPs of confining to lobbying with the single agenda of bailing out their party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy from various cases and ignoring the State, the 74-year-old urged the TDP MPs to prioritise the State’s interests and strive hard in the Parliament and work with the Union Ministries in that direction.
Making it clear that everyone should respect democratic institutions, Naidu remarked that those overriding the systems will fall prey to the same. No one should assume that positions are permanent, he told the MPs and asked them not to be high and mighty with the people’s verdict.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan is also likely to reach New Delhi for the NDA meeting.