Two TDP MPs said the party would rather be a ‘kingmaker’ than the king, ruling out Naidu’s projection as a potential prime ministerial candidate for the proposed alliance.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu set the tone for the Telugu Desam Party’s 2019 campaign Sunday, saying regional parties would come together to defeat its former ally BJP.
“We are not afraid to play a larger role in the national politics to keep the BJP out of power. The party that betrayed the people of Andhra must be scared because we will win all 28 seats (of Andhra Pradesh) in the Lok Sabha election,” he said, speaking at the TDP’s annual conclave, ‘Mahanadu’.
The ‘betrayal’ referred to was the Centre’s refusal to grant Andhra Pradesh special status despite the state’s claims that the 2014 bifurcation had left it with a revenue deficit.
Naidu cited the Congress’ recent decision to form an alliance with rival Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka to make a case for the growing importance of regional parties. “The Congress’ chances of coming back to power are negligible but the regional parties will make sure the BJP is ousted,” he added.
M. Murali Mohan, TDP MP from Rajahmundry, told ThePrint that the party would support the selection of a non-Congress, non-BJP Prime Minister in 2019.
“The TDP has traditionally been anti-Congress. So supporting a non-Congress coalition is natural for us but we will be open to all options to defeat the BJP,” he added.
Two TDP MPs, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the party would rather be a “kingmaker” than the king, ruling out Naidu’s projection as a potential prime ministerial candidate for the proposed coalition of regional parties.
Just over two months ago, TDP president Naidu had exited the BJP-led NDA, writing in a letter to BJP president Amit Shah that it was pointless to continue in the coalition in light of the union government’s failure to implement the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (the law governing the state’s bifurcation to carve out Telangana).
Naidu said Sunday that he was now gearing up to wage a “moral war” against the BJP for the same reason that compelled former Andhra chief minister N.T Rama Rao to form the TDP — to protect the self-respect of Andhra citizens.
Naidu also criticised state opposition leader YSR Congress’s Jaganmohan Reddy for siding with the BJP. YSR Congress is reportedly in talks with the BJP for a possible coalition for the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
On 29 May, the last day of the annual conclave, the TDP is expected to pass resolutions on its political alliances for the polls.
Modi government’s ‘failures’
Naidu’s fiery 50-minute speech was focused more on the “failures of the Narendra Modi administration” than his own government’s performance over the past four years.
“Despite the Centre’s non-cooperation, the state’s growth is at 10.5 per cent. We are not far behind Gujarat. But all the projects we have begun in Andhra can be completed only if we come back to power,” Naidu said.
He read out a long list of grievances, including demonetisation, implementation of the GST, the rise in petrol prices, and the country’s polarisation.
“He (Modi) just talks and campaigns but there is no real development anywhere. I challenge him to prove that any of the ambitious schemes he announced in 2014 — Digital India, Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana — is a success today,” Naidu said.
Incidentally, Naidu was one of the first chief ministers to back Modi’s demonetisation initiative.
The tech-savvy chief minister also joined the long list of opposition leaders who have alleged that electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being tampered with to favour the BJP.
He also alleged that the BJP indulged in “dirty politics”, criticising the party’s efforts to form the government in Karnataka despite not having a majority.
“Modi’s focus is just on coming to power in all states, not developing the country. What do I have to say about a party that looks people in the eye and says it will poach MLAs from other parties just to come to power?” Naidu said.
Not just the TDP, the BJP’s oldest ally Shiv Sena has also been consistently criticising its partner in mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ on issues ranging from demonetisation to high fuel prices.
Bhai sahab… this is resultant of very high quantity of Absinthe or too much of stuff from Manali…
Who will believe this Naidu?Certainly not any one who who knows the past.This worthy who was the convener of UF back in late 90s did a clean somersault to support BJP .And how can you trust a person who until the other day was a partner with BJP and ditched that party for personal reasons.