New Delhi: Shiromani Akali Dal, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has voiced its concern over the treatment of alliance partners within the NDA.
SAD leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Naresh Gujral said, “The BJP leadership should be more accommodative of its alliance partners. This is precisely the reason why the TDP and Shiv Sena are unhappy.”
The leader, though, did clarify that unlike Shiv Sena and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), they would not be abandoning the BJP. “This is not possible. We are an old ally of the BJP. We stood by them even when everybody left. Akali Dal and BJP have an unbreakable bond,” said Gujral.
The Shiv Sena and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had joined protests outside Parliament, led by opposition parties, against the central government.
On Monday, Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu lashed out at the Union Budget, presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on February 1, calling it a betrayal of the state. The TDP had been clamouring for the state to be given special status and extra funds.
Gujral, on the other hand, lauded Jaitley’s budget and said, “This is the only budget which has done something for farmers. Allies, including Chandrababu Naida and Shiv Sena, are upset because they haven’t received any accommodation till now.”
Gujral added a few words of caution for the BJP and said, “This alliance (NDA) shouldn't break. We want BJP to accommodate as many alliance partners as possible.”
Trouble began brewing in the ruling NDA even before the budget was presented. Before CM Naidu left for the World Economic Forum (WEF), sources in the party said that he was unhappy with the BJP because even after taking “42 trips to Delhi”, special status for the state Andhra Pradesh was not being granted.
On his return from Davos, the CM himself had lashed out at the BJP and said he was upset with the behaviour of some local party leaders. “I have controlled my party men. I always tell them not to talk against them (BJP). If a party is in alliance, then one should not talk against each other. It’s not right. But some state BJP leaders are making several comments. The high command should take note or react. But if we are not needed, I fold my hands and we will go our way", Naidu said.
This opened up fault lines, which came out in the open after the budget, which Naidu claimed had snubbed Andhra Pradesh. "We are disappointed with the Union Budget. Many pressing state issues such as Railway Zone, Polavaram project funding, financial assistance for new capital Amaravati and other pending issues of Andhra Pradesh were not addressed in the budget," said YS Chowdhary, Telugu Desam's Parliamentary Party Leader and Union Minister of State for Science and Technology in the BJP-led central government.
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