Tdp Rules Out Joining Government

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu yesterday ruled out participation of the Telugu Desam in theVajpayee government, ending widespread speculation on the issue.

He told newspersons after over a 90-minute meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that his party would continue to give issue-based support to the BJP-led government.

We are not joining the government, he said in reply to a question. When suggested that he had been changing his stance, Naidu said he had always been anti-Congress and he could not strengthen Congress by any of his actions. Earlier, Pramod Mahajan, political adviser to the Prime Minister told reporters that Naidu had told Vajpayee that it was his partys national duty to support the government at the Centre as its fall would only benefit Congress.

Naidu also discussed his states problems with Vajpayee particularly those related to finance and cotton growers. The Prime Minister assured him that the Centre would go all-out to redress the peoples problems.

This was Naidus first meeting with the Prime Minister after the TDP helped Vajpayee win the vote of confidence last week.

Naidu later met commerce minister Ramakrishna Hegde.