Vijayawada: Telugu Desam Party national president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had asked the party leaders to stop talking about alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) till 2019. He had made this statement very clear to the rank and file of the party after his re-election as the party national president at Visakhapatnam. The BJP leadership too had given a similar call to its ranks on the alliance and thus the parties have silenced the warring leaders in both the parties.
Chandrababu Naidu said that the two parties have decided on alliance in the larger interests of the party during the last elections. He said that the two parties have benefited from the alliance and are now partners in the governments at the Center and in the State as well. The alliance has to be continued for this term, he said and wanted the leaders not to touch the issue till the end of the current term.

The BJP leadership too had given a similar direction to its leaders who have been vocal on the alliance with the TDP. A good number of the BJP leaders in the State have been pressing for breaking the alliance for some time now. They see the alliance as a greater hurdle for the BJP’s expansion in the State and are in a hurry to break the alliance.

However, the heads of the two parties have given a clear indication on the continuation of the alliance and have directed the leaders to stop talking about the issue in open putting an end to the speculation over the break up.

Chandrababu Naidu’s direction to the leaders on the alliance is set to silence its leaders, but it is to be seen whether the BJP leaders would also honour the alliance and maintain silence or would continue to speak creating confusion.