TD fumes over ‘weak’ BJP list

• Fears people would reject them, which may in turn affect its prospects
• Chandrababu Naidu warns the situation poses trouble for the alliance itself
• BJP rushes Javadekar to Hyd; Rajnath Singh, Modi ready to step in
• BJP not only put up weak candidates, but also turned down our requests: TD

Hyderabad: The BJP's alliance with TDP in Seemandhra region has run into rough weather, forcing the saffron party leadership to rush the party official spokesperson Prakash Javadekar to Hyderabad to resolve the issue. Javadekar, while admitting that there were some differences, said that there was no confusion on the issue of alliance. “Alliance stands and all is well,” he told media persons. He said the BJP leadership was in touch with Naidu and the differences would be ironed out and a statement would be made on Friday. According to BJP sources from Delhi and the AP unit president K Haribabu, the central leadership of BJP was closely monitoring the issue and if need be BJP president Rajnath Singh and the prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi would also intervene to resolve the crisis. “The alliance is intact,” he said.

Addressing a public meeting at Gajapatinagaram in Vizianagaram district, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu expressed his displeasure over fielding of ‘weak’ candidates by the BJP for the state Assembly elections to be held on May 7. He said that the fielding of weak candidates would be "detrimental" to the alliance. Earlier, at a public meeting in Parvatipuram in the morning, Naidu said that they had aligned with the BJP to see that Narendra Modi becomes the Prime Minister and to rid the country of the corrupt and inept Congress rule. “The alliance is also in the interests of our State. But somehow the BJP has fielded very weak candidates in some places, which will only benefit the rival parties,” he said. He stressed that corrupt forces like the YSR Congress should not be allowed to take advantage of the situation.

On Wednesday night, Naidu had in a teleconference with his party leaders remarked that the candidates being fielded by the BJP for Assembly were "not capable" of getting elected even as ward members. “How would they win the Assembly seats? It will only be detrimental to our alliance,” he reportedly told them. He is also said to have blamed the external forces, particularly the RSS, for the current fiasco. According to sources, Naidu feels that voters will reject not just the BJP nominees, but by association, TDP candidates as well.

When queried on Naidu’s remarks, Javadekar said that he was aware of what Naidu had said at the public meetings and exuded confidence that the matter would be amicably resolved. Soon after that, the TDP MP Sujana Chowdary met Javdekar and discussed the issue. Meanwhile, Naidu cancelled his Visakhapatnam and Krishna district tour and returned to Hyderabad to hold talks with BJP leaders. He also held a video conference with Modi and Rajnath Singh.

According to BJP leaders in Delhi, talks are on between the two parties and efforts are being made to douse the fire. BJP president Rajnath Singh may intervene, if the situation so demands. The party leaders also do not rule out BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, too, may step in to save the alliance. TDP sources say that the trouble between the two parties has arisen over the BJP's choice of candidates in constituencies like Ichchapuram, Rajahmundry (Urban), Kaikaluru and Guntakal that have been allotted as part of the alliance.

TDP leaders claim that the party is irked by the BJP's decision to grant a ticket to Gokaraju Ranga Raju instead of nominating Ramakrishna Raju. Similarly, announcing Rajampet ticket to Purandeswari is also said to have added fuel to fire. Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, son of former Union Minister K Yerran Naidu, who is the TDP candidate from Srikakulam Lok Sabha constituency, told Naidu that the BJP's nominee for Ichchapuram Assembly seat V Balakrishna stood no chance of winning. "We are unnecessarily forgoing an Assembly seat, which will have an impact on the parliamentary seat as well," he reportedly lamented.

Similar is the case in Rajahmundry (Urban), where the TDP denied ticket to its senior leader Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary to accommodate the BJP. A Satyanarayana who has been nominated by the BJP is, "hopeless. We will be giving the seat to the rivals on a platter,” TDP leaders in Rajahmundry including M Murali Mohan reportedly told Chandrababu.