"Self-interest outweighs Andhra's needs for Babu": Congress' Manickam Tagore slams TDP Chief for allying with BJP

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Andhra Pradesh affairs Manickam Tagore on Thursday took a swipe at TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu for allaying with the BJP despite the Central government not giving Special Category Status to the state.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Andhra Pradesh affairs Manickam Tagore on Thursday took a swipe at TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu for allaying with the BJP despite the Central government not giving Special Category Status to the state. "Babu claims no differences with BJP except for the denial of Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. Denying SCS, yet still clinging to the alliance? Looks like self-interest outweighs Andhra's needs for Babu & TDP. #PoliticsAsUsual #TDP #BJP," Tagore posted on X.

The TDP Chief on Wednesday said that he had no differences with the Bharatiya Janata Party, except over the denial of Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and what he was asking it was to help in developing the State. He said that the TDP-BJP Jana Sena Party (JSP) alliance was for the benefit of the state, adding that his support for the NDA during Atal Behari Vajpayee's time was unconditional.

In the run-up to the elections for the state assembly and Lok Sabha, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Jana Sena Party (JSP) sealed a seat-sharing pact in Andhra Pradesh on Monday. According to the pact, the BJP will contest from six seats, the TDP from 17 seats and the JSP from two seats for the parliamentary elections.

In the assembly elections, the BJP will contest from 10 seats, the TDP from 144 seats and the JSP from 21 seats, as per the statement. The seat-sharing was finalised at a meeting held at Amaravati today following the meeting between the three parties in Delhi, where an alliance was formalised. Naidu has received sharp criticism from his opponents for allying with the BJP. He had pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2018 after the Modi government's refusal to grant Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh.

APCC president YS Sharmila demanded that Naidu explain to the state's people why he chose to align with the BJP, which had betrayed the people on all fronts in the last 10 years. (ANI)

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