The Hindu : National : NDA will meet fate of Telugu Desam, says Laloo

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 12, 2004

National

National

NDA will meet fate of Telugu Desam, says Laloo

By Our Special Correspondent

PATNA, MAY 11. The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, Laloo Prasad Yadav, said here today that the Telugu Desam Party chief, Chandrababu Naidu, was solely responsible for his party's debacle in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections and claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance at the Centre would also be voted out of power.

Mr. Yadav said that Mr. Naidu had ignored the basic needs of the people and had to learn the lesson the hard way. Also, he had blundered by latching on to the National Democratic Alliance, even though the poor and the secular forces had voted for him earlier.

The RJD chief said the NDA had no chance of returning to power as their main hero had been forced to bite the dust. "The NDA will be wiped out from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Bihar." He wondered from where the NDA would make up these "huge losses."

The secular and democratic forces, he stressed, would form the next government. "When you have the numbers on your side then choosing the Prime Minister is not a problem."

The first choice for the top post was the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi; if she declined, the issue would be settled amicably across the table.

Mr. Yadav said he would leave for Delhi after the completion of the counting process on May 13 and was "in touch with leaders of like-minded parties" in Delhi for formulating strategy.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National