TDP is not part of NDA, says BJP

TDP broke ranks with the BJP-led NDA today and decided to participate in the proceedings of the Parliament.

Put on the defensive by ally TDP's decision not to continue Parliament boycott along with it, BJP on Thursday said the party was "not a part of NDA".

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BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman, VK Malhotra, however, acknowledged that his party had requested TDP a number of times but the latter had not heeded to it.

"TDP is not a part of NDA," Malhotra told reporters after the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi, when asked to comment on TDP's decision to discontinue boycott of Budget Session.

He said the BJP leaders had talked to TDP leaders and requested them to continue the boycott along with NDA but the latter said they wanted to attend Parliament to counter allegations levelled by the UPA.

TDP, which had been in dilemma for the past few days on continuing the six-day-old boycott, on Thursday broke ranks with BJP-led NDA and decided to participate in the proceedings of Parliament.

A decision to attend Parliament was taken at a meeting of Telegu Desam Parliamentary Party.

This is the first major occasion when TDP has had to dissociate from BJP in its more than seven years of association.