TDP-BJP alliance will sustain, says Venkaiah Naidu

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT. 15. The Union Minister for Rural Development, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, has ruled out the scope for any misunderstanding or conflict between the TDP and the BJP even as he saw bright prospects for his party's expansion in the State.

The BJP would definitely grow in the State but not at the expense of the TDP, Mr. Naidu said while addressing a felicitation function organised by the city party unit here on Sunday.

Mr. Venkaiah Naidu and Mr. U.V. Krishnam Raju, Minister of State for External Affairs, were felicitated at the function attended by the Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Mr. Bandaru Dattatreya, and the Union Minister for Disinvestment and Planning, Mr. Arun Shourie.

He said it was the desire of the Congress(I) to see the TDP and the BJP fall apart. But, there was no question of the two parties quarrelling just to satisfy the Congress(I). He said there was scope for both the TDP and the BJP to grow as both together garnered 50 per cent of the vote and the remaining 50 per cent was still to be conquered.

The Union Minister said he was often asked whether he was not interested in becoming the Chief Minister. "But it is not necessary that every ambition of ours should get fulfilled". The BJP was a force to reckon with in the State, he said.

Mr. Naidu said he always regarded the party position more important than a berth in the Cabinet. The BJP occupied the centre-stage of Indian politics by the strength of its ideology and those who heckled the party as untouchable were isolated in the political scene.

The Union Minister said the singular achievement of the BJP Government, which completed a successful year in office, was to restore the self-confidence of the nation. The focus of the world community now was on India.

Mr. Naidu launched a blistering attack against the Congress for pursuing "a negative and opportunistic" politics, instead of playing a role of constructive Opposition. He said the Congress was worried as the BJP Government was not tainted by any scam and provided a clean administration. "Development was the mantra and consensus the approach".

He also dwelt at length on the priorities of the BJP Government which was intent on providing drinking water to 1.60 lakh villages in the next three years. He refuted the Congress(I) criticism that subsidies were cut by the Centre. The food subsidies had gone up from Rs.5,800 crores to Rs.7,400 crores and the fertilizer subsidies had also gone up. He ridiculed the criticism of the Left parties that the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, was serving as an "agent of World Bank". It was the Congress(I) Government, which landed the country in a debt trap with a debt of Rs.10 lakh crores.

Mr. Arun Shourie said the last six months was a glorious period in Indian diplomacy as heads of all G-7 nations visited the country. The country's prestige in the comity of the nations soared and the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was rated as the second highest regarded statesman after Nehru.

Mr. Dattatreya said his department had on an ambitious programme to build one crore houses for the poor in the next five years. Already, 36 lakh housing units were grounded. Of them, 8.5 lakh units were sanctioned in Andhra Pradesh. One crore gas connections were sanctioned in just one year and Andhra Pradesh accounted for 15 lakh connections.

Mr. Krishnam Raju thanked the Prime Minister for entrusting him a crucial portfolio and said he would live up to Mr. Vajpayee's expectations.

Mr. C. Ramachandra Reddy, State BJP president, said achievements of the NDA Government for the past one year would be highlighted through various programmes to be taken up all over the State. Mr. Chintala Ramachandra Reddy, City president, presided over the meeting.

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Section  : Southern States
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