NEW DELHI, 5 May 2005 — The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key ally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), showed signs of distancing itself from the BJP-led opposition which yesterday decided to continue with the boycott of Parliament for the rest of the budget session till May 13, rejecting Speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s appeal to end the protest.
Amidst reports of differences within the alliance, the Bharatiya Janata Party managed to take TDP on board for the sixth day of boycott yesterday though its leader K. Yerran Naidu, did not attend the meeting of the NDA coordination committee.
“After considering the issue of boycott in detail, the NDA leaders have unanimously come to the conclusion that in view of the government’s undemocratic and intemperate attitude toward the opposition and its complete disregard of all parliamentary norms and standards, the NDA has no alternative except to boycott the rest of the session until May 13”, said a statement read out by its Convener George Fernandes, at a press conference.
Asked about the TDP, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani, said the party had been extending cooperation though it was not part of the NDA. “The decision to continue the boycott has been conveyed to the TDP leadership and it is for them to take a decision. Till now, the boycott has been unanimous and total”, he said.
The Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party will meet here today to decide whether to continue to participate in the boycott after Yerran Naidu holds consultation with TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Yerran Naidu also struck a different note when he said elected lawmakers have to go to Parliament and discuss people’s problems. The NDA began its boycott a week ago to press for the sacking of Railway Minister Lalu Yadav.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week urged the opposition to return to the house and participate in the proceedings, but his refusal to remove Lalu irked the opposition.
Speaker Chatterjee, who has begun the proceedings each day by expressing regret about the missing opposition MPs, wrote to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee Tuesday asking him to reconsider the boycott. But the NDA said he should have written to the prime minister too, and appealing to Vajpayee was “not enough” to end the stalemate.
