LJP asks BJP to introspect

News Gateway /  LJP asks BJP / New Delhi  /

As the TDP pulled out of the NDA on Friday and decided to move its own no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, the spotlight turned on other allies of the BJP. And from their first remarks, it appeared that they were rallying behind the BJP. Except the Lok Janshakti Party whose one MP asked the BJP to “introspect why are allies upset or are quitting the alliance”.

The Shiv Sena, which has been a bit of a headache to the BJP, was not ready to take sides with the two Andhra parties — TDP and YSR Congress Party — which are both pressing no-confidence motions. “No one spoke to us, nor have we spoken to anyone,” Shiv Sena parliamentary party leader Sanjay Raut told The Indian Express. Asked if Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had spoken to TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, Raut said, “As of now, no”.

The Shiv Sena, sources said, considered the no-trust motions “a non-serious move”, a result of “upmanship” between TDP and YSR Congress Party over Andhra politics. How could something as important as a no-trust motion be brought in without prior consultation with other parties, Sena sources asked.

Janata Dal (United) secretary general K C Tyagi said: “We are very firmly with the BJP-led government. There is no question of going back on our support to it.” On the TDP demand for grant of special category status to Andhra Pradesh, Tyagi said: “Bihar had made a similar demand, but the 14th Finance Commission ruled out any such concession to a state other than the hill states”.

The SAD too rallied behind the Modi government. Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur told reporters: “The Akali Dal is one of the oldest allies of the BJP. We were together and we are together. We have weathered many a storm in the past and we will weather this one too.”

However, Mehboob Ali Kaiser, LJP MP from Khagaria in Bihar, said: “The BJP should introspect why are allies upset or are quitting the alliance. Even the results of the bypolls are indicative of this. The onus for taking all alliance partners together is on the biggest party, especially in the current situation when there has been an electoral setback in UP.”

Haribansh Singh, Apna Dal MP from Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, said he hoped the TDP would return to the NDA. “They should not take a decision in haste. We will keep working under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Centre does not have the resources to meet all demands of one state. It has to take care of the whole country, and not just Andhra Pradesh. There are many states demanding special status.”