Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will meet the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MPs in the national capital on Tuesday. A senior TDP leader said on Monday that Naidu will arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday noon.
Naidu, who is playing an important role in bringing the Opposition party leaders altogether ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, will not, however, meet the leaders of other parties. The TDP leader also said after meeting his party MPs, Naidu will leave for Andhra Pradesh by a special aircraft in the night.
While the purpose of this meeting is unclear, it seems to be to chalk out a plan of action as it comes after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday suspended TDP MP N. Shivaprasad for two days under Rule 374A, for disrupting House proceedings. Earlier, the House saw three pre-lunch adjournments during which Mahajan suspended four TDP members for two consecutive sittings for causing "grave disorder" in the House. Last week, the Speaker had suspended 45 Lok Sabha members belonging to AIADMK and the TDP.
The TDP leaders have been protesting the denial of Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh by the NDA-led Centre.
“I will meet whoever is available. It is not a ‘mahaghathbhandan’ but we are trying to form an anti-BJP front,” Naidu was quoted as saying.
Just earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Naidu was daydreaming of becoming Prime Minister and alleged that he backstabbed TDP founder and his father-in-law N T Rama Rao twice.
During a video-conference with workers of Bharatiya Janata Party from five Lok Sabha constituencies, Modi said, "It was NTR who led 'Congress-mukt' Bharat movement with anti-Congress National Front, but today his son-in-law bowed his head before Congress to save his power. NTR was a true icon of Telugu pride. NTR never forgot Congress for hurting Telugu pride and for betrayal of Telugu interests. Today those in power in Andhra Pradesh are so desperate to cling to their power that they betrayed Telugu interests and stabbed NTR in the back for second a time."
"The CM is so fixated with the rise of his son that he does not realise how his policies and corruption can lead to sunset of the state. To set the son, he (Naidu) is creating an atmosphere for the sunset of the state. He is promoting only his son, he is forgetting the sons and daughters of the state," he added.
Tension has been rising between the two parties ever since TDP pulled out of the NDA in March last year over the Centre not fulfilling the promises made to Andhra Pradesh at the time of State's bifurcation.
IANS inputs