Brushing off speculations that N Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP might rejoin the NDA, a BJP leader from Andhra Pradesh said that no such decision has been taken by the party's central parliamentary board.
Sunil Deodhar, the BJP co-incharge for Andhra Pradesh, rejected buzz about Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) return to the BJP fold and said termed the Naidu’s party "dynastic and corrupt".
The TDP chief snapped ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2019 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections accusing the party of "breaking promises".
"Reports of TDP joining NDA are baseless. The central parliamentary board decides on it, no meeting has taken place. There is no possibility of the news being true,” he told ANI.
A series of meetings over the past month has added to the speculation that the TDP chief is keen to revive his alliance with the BJP in view of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Andhra Pradesh assembly elections.
In July, the TDP backed the NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu claiming that she belongs to the tribal community, a move seen as an attempt by the party to return to the NDA fold.
To a question about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Naidu’s recent meeting, Deodhar said that such "casual meetings" should not be seen from a "political angle".
"TDP is an expert in mind games. PM Modi always believes that setting aside party politics, the parties should come together in national programmes such as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. PM met Chandrababu Naidu in a programme where he met several other leaders too. Jagan Mohan Reddy goes to Delhi repeatedly. That does not mean that we are forging an alliance with the YSRCP. The casual meetings should not be seen from a political angle. Both parties are dynastic and corrupt," he said.
"We have clear instructions and we are following it that we have to stand the party in Andhra Pradesh on its own feet," Deodhar added.