New Parliament: TDP to take part in inauguration but Naidu will not attend

Amaravati: After 19 Opposition parties decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Thursday said it will take part in the inauguration scheduled on 28 May in New Delhi.

An invitation was sent by the Lok Sabha secretary general to all the political parties. Sources from TDP said, Chandrababu Naidu has instructed Rajya Sabha MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar to represent the party. TDP currently has one Rajya Sabha member Ravindra Kumar, and three Lok Sabha MP's - Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu from Srikakulam, Kesineni Srinivas from Vijayawada, and Galla Jayadev from Guntur parliamentary constituency.

TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and wrote a message on Twitter. He wished the new Parliament building would become the abode for transformational policy and decision-making.

Speaking to NewsMeter, one of the TDP members said, “Members of Parliament (MPs) will represent the party for the inaugural ceremony. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu will not be attending as he will be at the TDP Mahanadu, scheduled to be held on 27–29 May.”

On Wednesday evening, the ruling YSRC president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy confirmed that his party will participate in the inauguration.

Earlier, 19 Opposition parties, including the Congress, said they will boycott the ceremony, demanding that President Droupadi Murmu and not PM Narendra Modi do the inauguration.

Meanwhile, the suspense continues on whether Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao will decide to have his party attend or boycott the inaugural of the new Parliament building. So far, there has been no official statement from the BRS.