Rao should explain his attending of NDA rally: CPI

The CPI on Sunday termed TRS chief Chandrasekhar Rao's attending the NDA rally in Ludhiana not a setback but an "embarrassment" and asked him to explain whether he was "drifting" away from the Grand Alliance."

The CPI on Sunday termed TRS chief Chandrasekhar Rao's attending the NDA rally in Ludhiana not a setback but an "embarrassment" and asked him to explain whether he was "drifting" away from the Grand Alliance."

HT Image

"Rao will have to explain whether he is drifting from the Grand Alliance which fought against BJP and Congress," CPI National Secretary D Raja told PTI.

He said Rao's participation was against the verdict of the people.

To a question, the CPI leader said Rao's attending the NDA rally at Ludhiana was "not a setback but in a way an embarrassment".

But at the same time, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said he did not think "he has left us".

"You are reading too much...This has become a practice of the media. He has been invited and he is going," Bardhan told reporters.

The CPI veteran maintained that his party was also committed to the Telengana issue.

Reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attending the NDA rally, Raja said the JD (U) and Nitish "have been demarcating themselves from the BJP's core agenda...Now it is for Nitish to make up his mind."

He said Nitish joining the rally was noting unusual "as he is still in coalition with the BJP".