Hyderabad: There is every possibility of a change in the political relations between the BJP and the Telugu Desam.
Comments made by AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during a media and tele-conference with party MPs on Friday, indicate this. This was the first time Mr Naidu had openly criticised the BJP for its attitude regarding granting of Special Category Status to AP.
Mr Naidu told the MPs that “there will be no compromise in safeguarding the interests of the state and if they (BJP) ask TD to leave the Union Cabinet, the TD is ready to do so”.
The Chief Minister will be holding a meeting with the party MPs on Sunday to discuss its strategy in the Parliament in the wake of Union finance minister Arun Jaitley’s statement on special status in the Rajya Sabha.
The TD has already sent a communication to all MPs asking them to attend the meeting.
Mr Naidu, who has taken Mr Jaitley’s comments very seriously, plans to discuss the future course of action and the party’s strategy in Parliament for the next few months. The TD has been on the defensive over the special status issue from the very start.
The Private Member’s Bill on the special status issue, introduced by Congress MP K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao has put the TD in an embarrassing situation. The party has not been in a position to fight against the Centre on this issue as it is one the NDA’s partners.
MP Kesineni Srinivas said that if necessary, the party’s MPs were ready to resign and fight the Centre on status issue. He said nothing will happen if TD loses two minister-posts in the Union Cabinet
