The BJP on Friday struck a defiant note after what they termed an “inevitable” walk out by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) from the NDA ranks. After the decision to withdraw from the NDA was communicated to TDP MPs by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the party also moved a no confidence motion against the Modi government at the Centre.
BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said, “The Telugu Desam Party’s decision to quit was inevitable after its mischievous propaganda against the Centre. The people of Andhra Pradesh have now realised that the TDP is resorting to lies to cover up its inept and inert governance. Far from being a threat, the TDP’s exit is a timely opportunity for the BJP to grow in Andhra Pradesh,” he said. He also sad that the “slim victory of (1.7%) for the TDP-BJP combine in 2014 would have resulted in a third consecutive defeat for the TDP.”
BJP president Amit Shah has also asked state unit leaders to meet him in New Delhi on Saturday to take stock of the situation. The party has already withdrawn its ministers from the Chandrababu Naidu led government in Andhra Pradesh.
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BJP leaders meanwhile feel that the TDP by moving a no confidence motion against the Modi government had made a misstep. “They are repeating the combined opposition’s mistake of 1998 when the Vajpayee government was felled by one vote and later went on to win the subsequent General Elections (1999). This ganging up by the opposition only shows that their politics moves around a resentment of Prime Minister Modi and not any policy or ideological consonance,” said a senior leader of the party.
“Such a grouping will only show the people that the motives behind the opposition’s politics is personal and not political,” added the source. There was also a feeling that the shifting of party in charge for Andhra Pradesh, Siddharth Nath Singh to UP after he won in the Assembly polls and became a minister and vice president M Venkaiah Naidu assuming the constitutional position, ties with TDP were not handled as well as they should have. As of now the party has spoken to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to not support the no-confidence motion, sources said.
There was some worry over the party’s less than impressive foot print in the south, where it was in government only in Andhra Pradesh. The party organisation is not as robust as they would like and the two main political parties remain the TDP and the Y S Jaganmohan Reddy led YSR Congress Party. “We are not looking for any alternative tie ups in the state as of now, we are yet to take stock of the situation, but, in the run up of the General Election, such things happen,” said a senior leader.
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