NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, whose party Janata Dal (Secular) is a part of the BJP-led NDA coalition at the Centre, on Thursday claimed in the Rajya Sabha that Chandrababu Naidu, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh who has pledged TDP’s support to the Modi regime, wanted to be vice-chairman of the “NDA”, but this was not consented to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The claim, of course, was immediately denied by Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha J P Nadda, who said that he, also as president of the BJP, would like to clarify that no discussion relating to leadership of NDA had taken place among its constituent parties, all of which had unanimously agreed to put their weight behind and work under the leadership of the Prime Minister (Modi)”.
Earlier, speaking during the discussion on motion of thanks to the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha, Deve Gowda defended his party’s stance to support the Modi government, recalling how his party has worked with the BJP to form the govt in Karnataka and fought Lok Sabha polls together last year, with his son H D Kumaraswamy getting elected and becoming a Union minister.
Recalling that the BJP was elected for its third term at the Centre with 240 seats, which was short of majority mark in Lok Sabha but regional allies brought in the requisite numbers, Deve Gowda claimed that Chandrababu Naidu, as leader of TDP that won 16 seats in Lok Sabha, had expressed his wish to become NDA vice-chairman but “Modiji said no…nothing doing”.
“Modiji has not agreed. He knows how to run the administration. He has got experience both as Prime Minister and chief minister. He is the only tallest leader in the country,” claimed the former PM.
Nadda’s denial however sought to set the record straight; he lost no time in refuting the claim, saying that not only has the matter (NDA vice-chairmanship) never come up for discussion within the NDA but that all allies have resolved to stand firmly with the govt led by PM Modi.
Check out the latest news about Delhi Elections 2025, including key constituencies such as Kalkaji, Karol Bagh, Tilak Nagar, New Delhi, Laxmi Nagar, Badarpur, Ghonda, Krishna Nagar, Model Town, Rithala, Trilokpuri, Najafgarh, and Matia Mahal.