Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma has said that there was no reason other than political for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to quit NDA.
Mr. Sharma, who was in Hubballi on Saturday to address party workers, told presspersons that the NDA government had provided adequate funds to Andhra Pradesh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had confirmed it. “Being a good friend of BJP, Mr. Naidu was with NDA earlier also. There was no reason for him to break up with NDA. Probably political compulsion might have forced him to take the step.”
Mr. Sharma said the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh might have tasted success now, but it would not last long as regional parties had their own problems.
On the possibility of a third front taking shape again in the backdrop of the victory of the BSP-SP alliance, he termed the third front a past thing. He said there were not enough parties to form such a front. “We have already rooted out the Left in Tripura and soon in Kerala they would meet the same fate.”
Expressing confidence of a massive victory in Karnataka Assembly elections, Mr. Sharma said the Modi-Shah combine would ensure formation of a BJP government with 160 seats.
