Confusing signals from Venkaiah Naidu

By Our Staff Reporter

ELURU, JUNE 8. The BJP appears to be keeping its rank and file guessing over its tie-up with the TDP in the coming panchayat elections, if one goes by the rhetoric of the party's senior leader and Union Minister for Rural Development, Mr M Venkaiah Naidu.

Speaking at a meeting of the party West Godavari district unit here on Friday, Mr. Naidu said: ``It's the party State unit which will decide whether to go it alone or forge an electoral tie-up with the TDP. Let the entire rank and file of the party strive for expanding the party base at the grassroots level so that the TDP would realise the need for a joint fight with the BJP at the hustings.''

The Minister exhorted cadre to make use of the `image' and `achievements' of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and rope in various sections of people in large numbers into the party fold and help in expanding the party base.

He ruled out the party's support for giving separate statehood for Telangana region. ``The party had fought the elections in 1997 with a slogan -- two States for each vote. But the people had decisively rejected such rhetoric,'' Mr Naidu recalled.

The Union Minister of State for Surface Transport, Major-General BC Khanduri, called upon party workers to ensure a massive success for the party in the panchayat elections. The meeting was chaired by the party district unit president, Mr DVVS Varma.

Earlier, the Union Ministers inspected works on the link road connecting the National Highway-No 5 which is proposed to be served as a bypass road for Eluru town.

Addressing a gathering in this connection, Mr Khanduri said the four-lane-Tada-Itchapuram National Highway would be completed by the end of 2003. Works on the four-lane road at a stretch of 1,042 km were at a brisk pace, he said.

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Section  : Southern States
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