Venkaiah Naidu prefers to enter Rajya Sabha only with BJP votes, not from allies.
Hyderabad: Ending speculation that he may opt to contest for the Rajya Sabha polls this time from Andhra Pradesh where the TD-BJP alliance is in power, Union parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said, “I will not contest from AP with the support of the Telugu Desam.”
Speculation was rife that Mr Venkaiah Naidu, who would be completing a third term in the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in June, may opt for Andhra Pradesh due to his close relations with AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
When contacted, Mr Venkaiah Naidu told DC, “The BJP had sufficient strength in Karnataka and the party selected me as candidate thrice from the state. I cannot say whether I will be nominated from Karnataka or from any other state where the BJP has sufficient numbers to send me. The party’s Parliamentary Board will take a decision on that. But I am sure, I will not contest from Andhra Pradesh where we do not have numbers and I will need to depend on the support of the Telugu Desam,” he said.
“I do not want that, my nature is: I should not become a Rajya Sabha member with the support of some other party. Of this, I am hundred per cent sure.”
It is not sure whether BJP Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman will seek re-election from AP when her term ends in June. After becoming Union minister of state (independent charge) for commerce in May 2014, she had won a RS bypoll — the vacancy was caused by the death of former AP CM N. Janardhan Reddy — from AP.
Sack Sujana for default, says Congress
APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy on Sunday demanded the dismissal of Union minister of state Y.S. Sujana Chowdary from the Union council of ministers as he was involved in defrauding banks and financial institutions and had a non-bailable warrant issued by the court as well.
Addressing the media here today, Mr Raghuveera Reddy along with party general secretaries Gidugu Rudraraju and Janga Gowtham said that owing to the facts of the cases pending against Mr Chowdary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not have inducted him into the ministry.
The Congress leaders alleged that Mr Chowdary was picked by Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu for the Rajya Sabha as a quid pro quo for the financial help extended to him.
They said Mr Naidu was aware of Mr Chowdary’s allegedly fraudulent deals and still recommended him for the Union ministry. “Mr Modi and Mr Naidu allowing Mr Chowdary to continue in the minister’s post, only shows the bankruptcy of both the leaders,’’ Mr Raghuveera Reddy said.
