The Hindu : Talks with TDP on seats only after poll notification: BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 23, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Talks with TDP on seats only after poll notification: BJP

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, FEB. 22. The State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party will demand at least one Assembly seat from each district from the Telugu Desam Party.

Announcing this at the party's Visakhapatnam parliamentary level meeting at Malkapuram near here on Sunday, the BJP State president, N. Indrasena Reddy, told party workers not to indulge in speculation about the number of seats the party would contest. "You had four to five months for warming up. Now it is your responsibility to strengthen rapport with the electorate and popularise the achievements of the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee,'' he told partymen.

Mr. Reddy said: "whatever decision the party leadership will take should be final. The time is short and the task is big. Hence, all of you have to work hard to bring back the NDA Government at the Centre and the TDP Government in the State.'' Stating that the party would initiate talks with the TDP on allotment of the Assembly and the Lok Sabha seats after the poll notification, he said the Central party leadership had decided to depute the party general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, and the Union Minister for Law, Arun Jaitly, to Hyderabad to take part in talks.

Allaying the fears expressed by a section of partymen on allotment of meagre number of seats to the BJP by the TDP, he said no clear picture had emerged so far as the exercise was yet to start. He said the party would certainly stake claim for more seats due to increase in the strength of the party in the State.

Hitting out at the Congress, he said the party was bankrupt of ideas as well as leadership. He said the Congress, while claiming that the Golden Quadrilateral and other mega projects were conceived when it was in power, was indirectly admitting that there was a `feel good' factor in the country.

The BJP leader said the feel-good factor would definitely fetch a massive mandate for the BJP-led NDA coalition and alleged that the Congress was so desperate that it was now ready to tie-up with any regional party. "It's desperation is evident the way it entered into an alliance with the DMK in Tamil Nadu after accusing the party of involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi,'' he stated.

The BJP floor leader in the dissolved Assembly, K. Haribabu, said the party was confident of getting a clear mandate for another term for ensuring not only political stability but also improving the economy and executing several significant projects like telecom reforms, supply of LPG on demand and road connectivity.

He said the BJP and its allies would seek vote on development plank and claimed credit for clearance and execution of the Godavari water diversion project at a cost of Rs. 400 crores. The BJP national executive member, P.V. Chalapathi Rao, said that people in the country were looking at the Vajpayee's leadership.

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