BJP central leadership will take final call on alliances in Andhra Pradesh: State party president Purandeswari

In the wake of BJP's local NDA partner in Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kalyan's Janasena party, declaring a unilateral alliance with the TDP for the next elections, state BJP president Daggubati Purandeswari on Sunday said the final call on alliances will be taken by the party's central leadership.

Purandeswari made these comments in Vijayawada on the sidelines of a programme to commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday and to mark Vishwakarma Jayanti. She said that Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan said he would meet the BJP leadership to explain his position.

On several occasions, many local BJP leaders have proclaimed that there would be no alliance with the TDP but their local ally, Kalyan, unilaterally declared that Janasena and TDP will join forces for the next elections, following a meeting with Naidu in the Rajamahendravaram central prison recently.

“After he explains, the party's central leadership will also discuss with us and later take a decision,” said Purandeswari talking to reporters. She added that Janasena is still a part of the NDA.

While announcing the tie-up with TDP, Kalyan had also expressed confidence that this newfound partnership will have BJP's 'complete support'. The Janasena has also decided to form a committee under the leadership of political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar to coordinate with BJP and TDP leaders.

Speaking about the arrest of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in the multi-crore skill development corporation scam, Purandeswari asserted that it was the BJP that first condemned the arrest -- and sought to quell talk that her party had anything to do with the arrest.

She underlined that the CID, which filed the cases against Naidu and arrested him, reports to the state government, and questioned what the BJP has got to do with it.

Moreover, Purandeswari noted that BJP's cadres and party's Telangana leadership have also condemned the way Naidu was arrested -- allegedly without due process being followed.