Will hang myself if TDP allies with Congress, says Andhra Deputy CM

"This is a decision taken by the party. If it happens, I am ready to hang myself," the TDP leader said.

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Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K E Krishnamurthy on Wednesday said he was ready to hang himself if his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) enters into an alliance with Congress party.

Talking to reporters in Kurnool, he ruled out any alliance with Congress. "This is a decision taken by the party. If it happens, I am ready to hang myself," said the TDP leader.

Krishnamurthy made the remark while answering queries about the claims by the opposition YSR Congress and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) that TDP is preparing to join hands with Congress for 2019 elections.

Chief Minister and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu was facing flak ever since, he had shared the dais with Congress President Rahul Gandhi at the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy last month.

Speaking to reporters at the time, BJP national secretary V Ram Madhav accused Naidu of going back on the ideology of former Andhra CM and TDP founder NT Rama Rao, who wanted to unite all non-Congress parties to forge an alliance.

"Naidu is trying to sail with a party known for corruption and family rule. Congress is his home and he is practising the principles of the party, be it corruption, family rule, caste politics or non-accountability. Like our slogan Congress Mukth Bharat, NTR too established the TDP with a similar slogan. He wanted a non-Congress platform to usher in a new political culture. Naidu, however, is going against this very spirit," the BJP leader was quoted as saying.

Naidu, whose party pulled out of BJP-led NDA over its refusal to accord special status to Andhra Pradesh, has already clarified that sharing dais and shaking hands with Rahul Gandhi does not mean TDP will have any alliance with Congress.

Krishnamurthy also slammed YSR Congress and BJP for what he calls politics of collusion.

He alleged that YSR Congress has entered into a secret deal with the BJP and is playing drama with the resignations of its MPs over special status issue.

IANS inputs

Read: 'Andhra CM Naidu undid NTR's ideology by sharing stage with Congress': BJP