TDP mulling legal recourse

TDP on Thursday night said it was seeking legal opinion on what action it could take against its four Rajya Sabha MPs who joined BJP.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who is currently in Europe, held a teleconference with his party leaders following the development and directed them to take legal recourse for their disqualification.

Sources said Naidu told the leaders that the party is still strong and those who had jumped the ship did it for their personal gains.

"We are seeking legal opinion. There could be many reasons for changing parties. It could be because of ideology or to gain political or economic benefits," TDP Lok Sabha leader Jayadev Galla told reporters here.

TDP Rajya Sabha leader Y S Chowdary and three MPs C M Ramesh, Garikapati Mohan Rao and T G Venkatesh joined BJP saying after giving a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu saying the Parliamentary Party has decided to merge with the saffron party. Two Rajya Sabha MPs Thota Seetharama Lakshmi and Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar did not join them. Besides Galla, TDP also has two Lok Sabha members, Kesineni Srinivas and Ram Mohan Naidu.

Galla said the desertion may be even due to "fear or duress" but it was not for him to comment on why they left the party.