Exiting NDA? TDP Mulls Over Snapping Ties With BJP, Decides Not to — For Now

Hyderabad, Feb 4: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is not snapping its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for now. Following the TDP's parliamentary board meeting here on Sunday, senior party leader and Union Minister of State, Y S Chowdary said "no divorce" is on cards with the BJP in the interim future.

Chowdary's remarks came in the backdrop of TDP MLAs and MPs publicly marking their dissent against the BJP. The lawmakers said that the Centre, by failing to accommodate their demands for Andhra Pradesh in Budget 2018, has given them the pretext to resign.

"We will continue to condemn the Union Budget and mount pressure on the central government for assisting in various projects for Andhra Pradesh. But there is no question of quitting the government now. Media should not speculate about a divorce," MoS Chowdary told reporters after the meeting concluded.

On Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's purported conversation with Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the possibility of walking out from the NDA, Chowdary said such reports are "untrue". "Our CM had no conversation with Shiv Sena or anyone else," he added.

Earlier in the day, NDTV said Naidu was called by the BJP president Amit Shah, appealed him to refrain from "taking tough decisions". Chowdary, however, denied such conversation between the TDP and BJP chiefs.

Ahead of the meeting, TDP MP Pandula Ravindra Babu sounded a rebellious note, saying "we are ready to resign". The ball, however, is in Naidu's court, he remarked, adding, "The MPs and MLAs will stick to whatever the Chief Minister decides."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 04, 2018 03:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).