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Trinamul, TDP unlikely to quit NDA

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The proposed meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and two crucial National Democratic Alliance allies - the Telugu Desam Party and the Trinamul Congress - may not have any larger political fallout.

Both the TDP and the Trinamul seem to be visibly embarrassed over the prime minister's statement Wednesday that the construction of temple at Ayodhya is "an unfinished task." Their discomfiture has been compounded by the opposition protests in Parliament and outside.

Several allies have said that that the prime minister's statement was a sharp deviation from the agreed NDA agenda. Both the Trinamul and the TDP have made it clear that they would not like be a party to any anti-minorities rhetoric.

However, it has become clear that the two parties would not like to precipitate matters at this juncture. They will communicate their displeasure to the prime minister, but that will be it.

"The fact remains that both the parties need central assistance in their states - Trinamul in West Bengal and TDP in Andhra Pradesh. Both have shared power at the centre with Vajpayee's BJP for a long time now and have much going in their favour...they would not want to disturb the government now," said a source.

Trinamul's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandopadhyay, has already gone on record saying that "there is no question of demanding the prime minister's resignation on this issue."

"Vajpayeeji has a very secular character, which has been proved by his handling of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. You cannot judge a person of his stature on a single statement. When we meet, we will tell him that his remarks were uncalled for," Bandopadhyay said.

The TDP leader in the Lok Sbha, Yerran Naidu, echoed Bandopadhyay's views. "We will take up the issue with him...the remarks were unwarranted."

EARLIER REPORT
Trinamul, TDP to meet PM on Ayodhya statement

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