ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

TDP will not join BJP: Naidu

Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu today asserted that the party would have good relations with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government at the Centre, but it would not join the government 'under any circumstances'.

Addressing the Telugu Desam legislature party meeting in Hyderabad yesterday, Naidu defended the TDP's decision to put up its candidate for the Lok Sabha Speakership with the BJP support and vote in favour of the confidence motion, moved by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

He said the decisions stemmed from political compulsions to block the Congress. He, however, did not specify what the political compulsions were.

Apparently jolted by the resignations of state Heavy Industry Minister Basheruddin Babu Khan and some Muslim functionaries from the party, Naidu refrained from discussing the circumstances under which he had quit the United Front.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report