BJP's Purandeswari clarifies that NDA manifesto represents TDP and Janasena only

Visakhapatnam: The manifesto released by NDA partners in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday represents the poll promises made by TDP and Janasena only and not BJP’s, D Purandeswari, the party's state president has clarified.

Purandeswari said BJP is also committed to the 'Rayalaseema Declaration' passed in 2018, which includes setting up the High Court in Kurnool besides making the city the second capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Exuding confidence that NDA will come to power in the state, she also said coordination committees comprising members from TDP, Janasena and BJP have been set up at the state to mandal-level to iron out differences if any.

“We have been repeatedly saying, there is a joint manifesto between TDP and Janasena, because they came into an alliance three or four months ago, even before we joined them, so their manifesto was ready,” she told PTI on Tuesday.

The BJP leader further said the BJP has released its manifesto at the national level and once the NDA comes to power in Andhra Pradesh, all three parties will sit together and work out on how to incorporate the saffron party’s policy document into the others.

TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday unveiled the election manifesto of the NDA partners featuring ‘super six’ promises and several other welfare-centric schemes.

The TDP supremo noted that BJP, which issued a national level manifesto under its banner, would extend complete cooperation to the opposition coalition's manifesto in the state.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture on the manifesto was conspicuously absent, drawing attack from the ruling YSR Congress Government.

Reacting to the opposition manifesto, YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said the absence of PM Modi’s photograph on the manifesto proves that the promises are unattainable.

Replying to a query, Purandeswari said the BJP is against reservations based on religion and the same goes in Andhra Pradesh also.

On the "Rayalaseema Declaration” that BJP came up with in 2018, she said her party abides by it.

“Once we have a declaration and resolution is made, the party will stand by it. We said that we should have a bench in Kurnool. We said we need a High Court in Kurnool, but we never spoke about judicial capital like the YSRCP has spoken today…once we say we abide by it,” she said.

The declaration has a 16-point agenda, including setting up the High Court and making Kurnool the second capital of the state, aimed at the region's development.

The Jagan government has been repeatedly saying that it is in favour of creating three capitals; Visakhapatnam, Kurnool, and Amaravati.

However the state government’s move was nipped in the bud by courts and it is currently caught in legal tangles.

On the alliance's performance in Andhra Pradesh, the BJP leader said the NDA prospects seems to be good and hoped that it will come to power.