New Delhi, April 1 Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Dharmendra Yadav criticized the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, saying those who have sided with the BJP have "suffered."
Participating in a debate on a bill to make Amaravati the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh, he referred to the TDP as "cycle walon" (cycle riders) and suggested they should join the opposition.
He also referred to Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar's decision to move to the Rajya Sabha by giving up his position as Chief Minister of Bihar.
Yadav also mentioned Shrikant Shinde (a Shiv Sena member of the Lok Sabha), whose father, Eknath Shinde, was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and is now the state's Deputy Chief Minister.
Both the SP and the TDP use a bicycle as their election symbol and are recognized as state parties in Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, respectively. The TDP is a crucial ally of the ruling NDA, holding 16 seats in the Lok Sabha.
While Yadav supported the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, he felt that Visakhapatnam should have been the ideal capital of the state. "Visakhapatnam was previously being developed as the obvious capital, and if it had been accepted promptly, the entire discussion about land and investment requirements would not have been necessary," he said.
Yadav alleged that while MoUs worth Rs 15 lakh crore have been signed in Uttar Pradesh, not many have materialized so far. He cautioned the people of Andhra Pradesh against such MoUs, which only remain on paper.