TDP spokesperson Lanka Dinakar joins BJP in presence of JP Nadda at party headquarters

What can be termed as another major blow for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), its spokesperson Lanka Dinakar on Wednesday joined the BJP in the presence of its Working President J P Nadda at the national capital.

Earlier commenting on the defection of its party MPs to BJP, Former chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had said, “We fought with BJP only for Special Category Status & state’s interests. We sacrificed Central Ministers for Special Status, condemn attempts of BJP to weaken TDP. Crisis is not new to the party. Leaders & cadre have nothing to be nervous about.”

Dinakar has always been a fierce critic of BJP, hence his defection to the Bharatiya Janata Party has shocked many political ‘pandits’. Earlier this year, he had accused the BJP of doing “vendetta politics” by “using the Income Tax department” to conduct raids at various properties of Andhra Pradesh minister P Narayana.

“This is vendetta politics. BJP B team is in Andhra – Jagan Mohan Reddy, with Telangana Chief Minister (K. Chandrashekar Rao). They had asked P Narayana not to contest the election on behalf of TDP. He didn’t accept the proposal, so they are using the Income Tax department with the help of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP,” Dinakar had told ANI then.