BJP dials Chandrababu Naidu after his U-turn on note ban

A senior TDP leader clarifies that the Andhra Pradesh CM is still supportive of demonetisation

A day after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu did a seeming volte-face on his support to demonetisation, the Bharatiya Janata Party got in touch with its southern ally to clarify matters.

Senior sources in the BJP confirmed that party leaders from Delhi concerned with the State, dialled Mr. Naidu after news reports of his meeting with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders came out where he is reported to have said that the decision was taken against his wishes and people concerned with managing the crisis were failing.

Mr. Naidu had been one of the early supporters of the decision to demonetise currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 denominations and heads the committee of Chief Ministers to advise the government on how to move to a “less cash, more digital” economy.

Alarm in Delhi

His reported statements to his partymen on Tuesday therefore rang alarm bells in Delhi. “We did call up Mr. Naidu, we couldn’t speak to him but his office clarified that the statements were made during a discussion with TDP workers and leaders and Mr. Naidu was still supportive of demonetisation,” said a senior office-bearer of the party.

The BJP feels that Mr. Naidu, struggling with the financial implications of a new State, may be speaking out as part of some pressure tactic for more assistance from the Centre.

BJP’s Andhra Pradesh in-charge, Siddharth Nath Singh, issued a statement, reminding Mr. Naidu of his initial, enthusiastic support to demonetisation.

‘Least inconvenience’

“After the decision had been announced, the TDP and its publicity wing openly claimed that it was something that they had advocated and put out copies of a letter written by Mr. Naidu to Prime Minister Modi on October 12 this year where he had demanded that currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 be demonetised,” he said.

“Mr. Naidu is the head of the Chief Ministers’ committee on digitisation and we have seen from November 8 how he has put in 2-3 hours on a daily basis to make demonetisation successful in Andhra Pradesh. What he is raising at that workshop for TDP members is nothing different from what Prime Minister Modi has already said, that there should be the least inconvenience to the common man and it is in that direction that the Chief Minister has indicated that money circulation be expedited,” Mr. Singh added.

Party leaders are waiting for Mr. Naidu’s next public statement that may give them a clue to the real reason behind his reported U-turn.