BJP membership drive should not rattle TDP, can sort out differences, says BJP state president

The News Minute | November 4, 2014 | 10:35 am ISTRiding on the Narendra Modi wave, the BJP has started membership drives, both online and offline throughout the state of Andhra Pradesh.But the BJP’s move has not gone down well with some in the TDP, BJP’s alliance partner in the state, with a TDP minister going to the extent of saying the party will review alliance with BJP.But the state BJP insists that there is no reason why their membership drive should upset their ally. “The state of Andhra Pradesh has given us a good response with a lot of youth from villages and cities alike wanting to join the party” Kishen Reddy, the BJP state president told The News Minute.The BJP becoming a strong force in the state may be a cause of concern for its current ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which is currently in power in the state and has started its own online membership drive on Monday.The BJP which is the junior partner in the alliance, is slowly gaining strength as it bagged former ministers from the UPA and former MLA’s and MP’s from various parties both before and after the elections.When asked if the BJP’s growth will affect the alliance, Kishen Reddy said that “The membership drive will not come in between the TDP alliance”Ravela Kishore Babu, TDP leader and social welfare minister, said at a press conference on Monday that “We shall think about to what extent we have to go along with BJP. We have joined hands with the BJP to protect the interests of AP state. We shall not compromise with our party’s ideology,”When asked for a response to this statement, the BJP state president told The News Minute that “We are not asking the TDP to compromise on their ideology and any problems that arise should be sorted out by holding a meeting.”Though some in the TDP are criticizing the BJP, it is unlikely that the top leadership of the party will follow suit.The TDP cannot afford to go solo for the next five years as it needs the centre’s support for the allocation of funds to deliver all the ambitious plans in the manifesto to the people of AP.