BJP has differences with PDP on some issues: Naidu

Denying that BJP committed a political mistake by aligning with PDP to form government in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today admitted that it had differences with the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led party on some issues.
"We have differences on certain issues. We are trying to sort them out," he told reporters here when asked about developments in the insurgency-affected state after the PDP-BJP coalition came to power.
He, however, denied that forming a coalition with PDP was a political mistake.
Naidu, who was here to highlight the NDA government's achievements during the last one year, chose to downplay the social impact aspect of the controversial Land Acquisition Bill.

"One has to make sacrifice for nation's development," he said, adding that proper compensation was being offered for the land to be acquired.
"The industry is not our enemy. Others abuse the industry during the day and befriend it at night," he quipped.

Attacking Congress for "irresponsible and immature" opposition to the the land bill, Naidu, however, said the government was open to accepting "good suggestions".
Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent foreign trips, Naidu said, "These tours promoted the national interests, yielding good agreements" and boosting India's image abroad.
Asked why the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was being relegated to secondary role, Naidu rejected the suggestion, saying she was "doing an excellent job".

On "smart cities", Naidu, who holds Urban Development portfolio, said they would involve work based on urban ratings of the cities by the states and not by the Centre. The proposed smart cities are supposed to serve as a model to be replicated elsewhere, he added.