BJP spits fire on TDP for Centre-bashing

Vijayawada: Tempers ran high at a meeting of the office-bearers of the AP BJP state unit here on Sunday with a few leaders turning heat on state president K Haribabu as to why he was not being tough with the TDP even in the face of mudslinging every day. The meeting saw leaders with frayed nerves and bottled up emotions shouting at the top of their voices.

Several of them kept unleashing verbal invective against the TDP for targeting the BJP government at the Centre though it was doing everything in its capacity to help the state out of its difficulties.

At one point of time, an ugly spar took place between Haribabu and party assistant secretary Lakshmipathi Raja. They remained locked in exchange of expletives until other senior leaders intervened and pacified them.

The charge the leader had against Haribabu was that he appeared to a have soft-corner for the TDP. Raja and several other leaders insisted that the BJP should snap its relations with the TDP immediately rather than receiving blows every day. As soon as the meeting began, many leaders raised their voice against the TDP and the state government for the latter’s “irresponsible” attack on the Centre.

After emotions cooled down, the meeting decided that the party leaders should hit the roads and explain to the people what the Centre had been doing for the state in the wake of the state’s campaign that a raw deal has been meted out though the TDP was the BJP’s ally.

If the TDP continues its attack, then the BJP would have to reconsider continuing the alliance with the TDP but the party would wait till March 5, when the two Houses of Parliament would reassemble for the remainder of the Budget session, for taking a final call. Ministers G Manikyala Rao and Kamineni Srinivas also expressed their readiness to submit their resignations to party top leadership.

Manikyala Rao, MLC Madhav, MLA Vishnukumar Raju and several other leaders opposed continuation of the alliance with the Telugu Desam Party both in the state and at the Centre. Manikayala Rao supported the voice of district leaders and expressed his readiness to step down as minister immediately.

He explained to the leaders how he was being marginalised in the government though he was a member of the Cabinet. MLC Somu Veera Raju challenged the state government to come for open debate to discuss fund allocation. They would oppose the plans of the Telugu Desam showing the BJP as villain.

Th general feeling was that though Naidu came to power because of the BJP, he was now targeting it. MLC Madhav said that Naidu knows what his fate would be without the support of the BJP in the next election.

When Haribabu raised the proposal of bus yatra, there was opposition initially but at the end of the day all the leaders agreed for bus yatra to go into the midst of the people and explain to them the good work that the Centre had done vis a vis the claims of the state government.