TDP MPs Complain To Vice-President Over Defections, Merger Proposal

After the Rajya Sabha website revealed TDP members of the Upper House who defected to the BJP as members of the saffron party, their colleagues from Chandrababu Naidu's outfit protested to Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu against his decision to admit them as BJP members. TDP Lok Sabha members, Jayadev Galla from Guntur, Kesineni Nani representing Vijayawada and Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu of Srikakulam met Naidu on Friday afternoon. They were accompanied by the TDP Rajya Sabha members, Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar and Thota Seetarama Lakshmi. On the issue of merger of the TDP with the BJP, Rajya Sabha MP Kanamedala Ravindra Kumar said that it was not under the purview of the Rajya Chairman or Lok Sabha speaker. The Election Commission was the relevant authority to decide on the question of merger, he clarified. The tenth schedule or Anti-Defection law did not come under the jurisdiction of the presiding officer, he said. Experts say however, that this explanation is open to interpretation.

Meanwhile, the BJP has claimed that other TDP leaders were in touch with it. The BJP's General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP GVL Narsimha Rao has been vocal about the likely decimation of the TDP in AP.

Meanwhile, senior YSR Congress Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP, V. Vijayasai Reddy tweeted to say that TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu had sent his MPs into the BJP to strike a deal with the ruling party at the Centre. Fear of jail time for involvement in scams made him resort to this, he tweeted. Here's his post on Twitter:

Also Read:Chandrababu Outwits Modi-Shah By Planting Tainted TDP MPs in BJP