Sir — This refers to the article, “No-trust motion: Widening cracks in the NDA” (March 21) by Kalyani Shankar. The writer has discussed to the point all the pros and cons of the first ‘no-confidence’ motion brought against the Narendra Modi regime by its very own disgruntled ally, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), whose chief, Chandrababu Naidu, has accused the former of reneging on its promise to grant Andhra Pradesh special status even as the later’s rival, the YSR Congress, has come to support this idea with a view to get some political dividend out of it, being in the best interests of the State.
Though exuding confidence, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar has denied any threat to his Government on the strength of 314 votes already in its kitty.
The writer is spot on in observing that despite knowing this number calculation well, the National Congress Party (NCP), the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Aam Aadmi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal all appear adamant to stand by the motion on spotting the fissures in the BJP-led NDA, following the TDP’s exit; Shiv Sena’s decision to have no truck with BJP in the 2019 lok Sabha election; and the Akali Dal’s indifference towards it.
Perhaps, they hope to further dent the public image of the NDA at home as well as abroad which already has taken a beating after losing the significant by-elections in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.