Athawale urges TRS, YSRCP to join NDA

Hyderabad, June 3 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale has appealed to the TRS and YSR Congress Party to join the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre in the interest of the people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Athawale told reporters here on Sunday that Telangana Chief Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrashekhar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party leader Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy should extend support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The leader of Republican Party of India (A) said though National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with 353 seats in Parliament required no support from any party, its doors were still open for those who want to join. He said it will be in the interest of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh if the ruling parties of both states join the NDA.

"I want to tell KCR that there is no meaning in starting another 'gathbandhan'," he said referring to TRS chief's plans to form a Federal Front.

Athawale advised Jagan Mohan Reddy not to repeat the mistake committed by his predecessor and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N. Chandrababu Naidu. He said Naidu attacked Modi and left the NDA but people of Andhra Pradesh rejected him.

The Union minister said the NDA government would extend full support to Andhra Pradesh for its development.

Athawale said the opposition parties were indulging in a false propaganda against the NDA government that it was trying to change the Indian Constitution. He claimed that there is no threat to the Constitution as the government remained committed to protect it.

He said the NDA was not against any community and it believed in carrying all sections of society with it.