Naidu will bail out Vajpayee
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has decided to bail out the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre.
Sources said a final decision on whether the TDP will abstain from voting during the confidence motion or join the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government will come like a bolt from the blue on Saturday morning -- remember Speaker Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi's election?
According to these leaders, the TDP is keen on supporting the Vajpayee government. However, Naidu will consult party leaders and National Conference chief and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah before announcing the decision.
Addressing the media in the state assembly lobby on Thursday evening, Naidu said the TDP will not join the BJP-led government.
He deflected pointed questions on whether the BJP was communal, saying secular-minded leaders like the Lok Shakti's Ramakrishna Hegde and the Samata Party's George Fernandes had joined hands with the party.
On the other hand, he castigated the United Front for 'not
taking the right decision in the present situation' by extending
support to the Congress candidate for the Lok Sabha Speaker's post.
He blamed the UF leaders for the combine's poor performance
in the recent Lok Sabha poll. Naidu, however, refused to comment on UF chairman H D Deve Gowda's allegation that he had struck a deal with the BJP behind the UF's back.
UNI
Elections '98
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