Chandrababu Naidu criticised for barbs at Narendra Modi over remark on TMC

Hyderabad: AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu drew fire for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said that 40 Trinamul Congress legislators were in touch with him.

Reacting to Mr Modi’s comments, Mr Naidu called it “horse trading” on Twitter. Reacting to this, several persons asked him why he had admitted 23 YSR Congress MLAs and MPs into the Telugu Desam.

Telangana State Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has kept silent on Mr Modi’s claim.

Mr Modi had said at a rally in West Bengal on Monday that the 40 TMC MLAs would desert their party once the BJP wins the general elections. Reacting to this, Mr Naidu said in a message on his Twitter page: “This is nothing but horse trading, that too when the election process is on and the model code of conduct is in force. The Election Commission should immediately and suo motu, take cognisance of these shameful remarks by the PM and initiate action against him. These comments vindicate our stand that after destroying all institutions, the PM is now to destroy democracy itself.”

Mr Naidu and Mr Rao have encouraged defections. In AP, Mr Naidu has admitted 23 YSR Congress MLA and made some of them ministers. He also admitted YSR Congress MPs into his party.

In Telangana, Mr Rao did the same thing, admitting Telugu Desam, Congress and other party MLAs into the TRS and make some of them ministers in his previous term. He also admitted TD, Congress and YSRC MPs into the TRS. After getting elected a second time, he continues the same policy.

The Anti-defection Act was brought in by the Centre in 1985. As per this Act, if any member elected to the Assembly or to Parliament changes to another party, he or she is disqualified. No political party follows this rule.

YSR Congress president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy follows the policy of TD founder N.T. Rama Rao. He has openly said that if any public representative wants to join his party, he or she would first have to resign from their posts.