TDP pulls out of NDA: Who said what and where they stand

N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telegu Desam Party decided to pull its 16 MPs out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance over denial of special status to Andhra Pradesh.

Reactions poured in across party lines on Friday soon after N Chandrababu Naidu decided to pull Andhra Pradesh’s ruling party Telugu Desam Party out of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre. (Catch LIVE updates)

TDP leaders hold placards and raise slogans demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh during the Budget Session in Parliament on Tuesday.(PTI)

Naidu is believed to have communicated this decision in an emergency teleconference with party politburo members and MPs late Thursday.

The TDP has also given a notice to move a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government for denying Andhra Pradesh the special category status, as promised during the bifurcation of the state in 2014.

Here are the reactions from political parties:

Jagan Mohan Reddy, president, Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSR Congress)

“After four years of relentless struggle and fight by the YSRCP with people’s support for Special Category Status (SCS), finally, the nation, including N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP wakes up!”

“Win for democracy & people of AP. YSRCP will continue to fight for SCS, the rights of the people of AP,” Reddy, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh, said in another tweet.

Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister & Trinamool Congress chief

“I welcome the TDP’s decision to leave the NDA. The current situation warrants such action to save the country from disaster.”

“I appeal to all political parties in the Opposition to work closely together against atrocities, economic calamity and political instability.”

Congress

“When a no-confidence motion is moved 50 MPs should stand in its support and 50 MPs stood, but Speaker said it cannot be considered as House is not in order. So, I want to ask what does govt fear? They have huge majority in Lok Sabha,” Shashi Tharoor told ANI.

Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We have been supporting Special Category Status for AP since the beginning. We want that people of AP to get justice. When a no-confidence motion is moved, you have to talk about the government’s failures, we are contacting a lot of people.”

Telangana Rashtra Samiti

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) led by K Chandrasekhar Rao ruled out its support for the no-confidence motion against the NDA government, describing the move as a “political gimmick”. Andhra Pradesh’s ruling party on Thursday offered to back the YSR Congress’ no-confidence motion, but on Friday stated that it “smells a nexus between it (YSR Congress) and the BJP”.

Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary

CPI(M) supports the no-confidence motion being brought against the BJP government. Its betrayal of the promise of special status for Andhra Pradesh is inexcusable. Its all-round failure and evasion of parliamentary accountability needs to be highlighted.

BJP

BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said he is confident his party will sweep next year’s assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, like Tripura.

“We believe TDP is going tough in Andhra Pradesh. They are seeing a defeat for themselves in 2019 and they want to use this as an alibi to really retrieve their lost political ground,” Rao told ANI.

Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said it has become a custom to witness such rehearsals in the Parliament before the actual elections.

“In a way, it is an election year and every state has demands and issues, it is not right for us to comment on it. It is a custom, before actual elections there is always a rehearsal in Parliament,” Naqvi said. “Will see what happens in the Parliament when the no-confidence motion will be moved. We will see which party chooses to go which way.”

KC Tyagi, Janata Dal (United)

“In a big alliance, small difference of opinions happen. There is no danger to NDA government. But TDP withdrawing from NDA is unfortunate.”

AIADMK

The party will take a decision on the issue and one cannot comment on that now.

We expect the no-confidence motion to be moved by the Congress. The party is in alliance with DMK in Tamil Nadu. In short, the anti-AIADMK alliance will be moving the no-confidence motion and it may not be politically possible to support that given the stakes at the state level.

Akali Dal

BJP ally Akali Dal has backed the Modi government, saying it has full confidence in it.

“The Akali Dal is one of the oldest allies of the BJP. We were together and we are together. We have weathered many storms in the past and we will weather this also,” said party leader and food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur.

Party leader Naresh Gujral said the party will continue its alliance with the BJP in Punjab as it is not only on a political alliance but also a social alliance. "We do not want any complication in the Hindu-Sikh brotherhood and for that this alliance is very important,” he told ANI.