BJP asks TDP to join NDA Govt.

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 10. The BJP's State unit has invited the Telugu Desam Party to join the NDA Government headed by Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee and share the Centre's responsibility of resolving people's problems more speedily and effectively.

At the same time, it criticised the TDP MPs for staging a dharna outside Parliament on Friday to bring pressure on the Vajpayee Government to step up procurement of paddy from the State.

Describing the protest by the ruling party as unfortunate, it said such demonstrations would not help in improving the cordial relations between the two parties. The TDP's interest in safeguarding the farmers could be best served if it joined the Union Cabinet and not by organising dharnas.

Listing out efforts made by the BJP leaders from the State and the Centre to ensure payment of minimum support price to paddy farmers, the party said the State Government too must set its house in order by providing marketing infrastructure using the cess collected from farmers and lifting restrictions on foodgrain movement.

The BJP leaders emphasised that the FCI had gone out of its way this year by purchasing paddy directly from farmers against the earlier practice of buying rice from millers. Moreover, the Union Food Minister, Mr. Shantha Kumar, would be coming here tomorrow to personally supervise the procurement operations in marketyards.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, the Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya, and BJP spokespersons, Mr. P. Prabhakar and Mr. G. Kishan Reddy, advised the TDP leadership to be wary of the Congress(I)'s evil design of creating fissures between the NDA partners and allies by exploiting Mr. Vajpayee's statements on building a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

The BJP leaders were confident that the Prime Minister would allay the concerns on Ayodhya voiced by the TDP and some NDA partners such as the Trinamool Congress without the need for interference by the Congress(I).

Referring to the warning issued by the TD Parliamentary Party yesterday that it would seriously view any deviation from the common minimum agenda, Mr. Dattatreya said the NDA was not silent on the Ayodhya controversy as commonly perceived. Its manifesto clearly stated that the alliance would abide by the Supreme Court's decision on the mandir-masjid dispute.

Mr. Vajpayee had only restated the NDA's stand when he said that the Apex Court's judgment was one solution to the problem. He had also suggested that the temple could be built at the disputed site and the masjid at another place provided there was consensus between the Hindus and Muslims. He had only offered some solutions but not announced any decision.

Mr. Dattatreya charged the Congress(I), the Samajwadi Party and the Left with trying to tarnish Mr. Vajpayee's image which had witnessed an upswing among the Muslims after he unilaterally announced a ceasefire in Jammu & Kashmir during Ramzan. Accusing these parties of distorting Mr. Vajpayee's statements despite his commitment to the NDA's common agenda, he appealed to the Muslims not to be misled by the campaign.

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Section  : Southern States
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