Chandrababu Naidu a non-resident leader: AP BJP chief

Amaravati, Nov 25 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Andhra Pradesh unit president Somu Veerraju called Nara Chandrababu Naidu a non-resident leader in the state.

Veerraju hit out at Naidu for being mostly absent in the state and living at home in Hyderabad, physically away from AP affairs.

He made these remarks while addressing a meeting in Tirupati, where some more people joined the saffron party.

Veerraju pointed out that the central government had decided Hyderabad as the common capital of AP and Telangana for 10 years on bifurcation of united AP, but Naidu forcibly moved the state capital to Amaravati.

The BJP leader said it is ridiculous for Naidu to leave AP and live in Telangana capital Hyderabad after losing power.

Meanwhile, Veerraju exuded confidence in winning the yet to be scheduled Tirupati Parliamentary by-election, which fell vacant on the demise of YSRCP MP Balli Durga Prasad.

He said BJP performed very well when it contested on its own in 1998 without an alliance with Naidu.

"Only after Babu came out situation became like that. Now we have abandoned Babu," hinting at better days for the national party in AP as it is not in alliance with Naidu's TDP now.

He asserted that Venkataswamy got 1.86 lakh votes without Naidu's support back then.

"Once we got 1.8 lakh votes, we won once. We contested in an alliance in 2004. Three times we got good votes," said Veerrajju about Tirupati.

A few BJP leaders have already categorically stated that there would not be any alliance with TDP.