4 TDP MPs join BJP, submit proposal of merger of party to RS chairman
New Delhi, Jun 20: In a boost to the BJP, four of the six TDP MPs in the Rajya Sabha joined the party on Thursday and sought merger of the TDP Legislature Party with it in the Upper House.
In a day of fast-paced developments, the four MPs led by their Rajya Sabha leader Y S Chowdary- long seen a trusted aide of Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu- passed a resolution to this effect, followed by a nod to the proposal by BJP president Amit Shah.
The breakaway TDP faction, which includes C M Ramesh, Garikapati Mohan Rao and T G Venkatesh besides Chowdary, and BJP leaders, including its working president J P Nadda, met Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and urging him to approve the merger.
The development is a big blow to Chandrababu Naidu, coming close on the heels of his party's humiliating defeat in the recent Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister is vacationing in Europe as the fresh crisis hit his party. He spoke to his party leaders over phone as they sought to put up a brave front, saying that such troubles are not new to the organisation.
Making the announcement at the BJP headquarters, Nadda told reporters that the decision of TDP MPs, three of whom were present, to join the party is due to their belief in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda of development and inclusiveness.
Nadda was joined by the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha Thaawarchand Gehlot and senior party functionary Bhupender Yadav as the saffron party welcomed the Andhra leaders into its fold.
Due to a fractured leg, Rao could not attend the joining ceremony, said Yadav.
Their induction will strengthen the party in the state, Nadda said.
Speaking to reporters, Chowdary, a minister in the first Modi government before the TDP walked out of the BJP-led NDA, the state's development can be achieved by cooperation and not confrontation, in an apparent dig at TDP chief Naidu, who has been at loggerheads with the central government over implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act.
"The mood of the nation is clearly shown in the results of the Lok Sabha elections. We decided that we should join in this exercise of building our great nation," he said.
Incidentally, Income Tax department had raided residential and official premises of Chowdary and Ramesh last year over allegations of tax evasion and money laundering. Both had then claimed innocence.
Earlier in their letter to RS Chairman Naidu, the party MPs said the Legislature Party of Telugu Desam in Rajya Sabha met under the leadership of Chowdary and Legislature party's deputy leader Ramesh.
"Inspired and encouraged by the impeccable leadership of Shri Narendra Modi ji and the developmental policies being pursued by him in the overall interest of the nation, we have decided to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with immediate effect under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India," they said.
The TDP leaders said that after considerable deliberations, it has been resolved to merge the Legislature Party of the TDP with the BJP with immediate effect.
The TDP Legislature party also wrote to Shah to accept the merger and convey his acceptance through a resolution to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The merger will give a boost to the saffron party in the Upper House as the ruling NDA does not have a majority there.
The TDP has three members in the Lok Sabha.
The Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members and the BJP is the single largest party with 71 MPs.
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Domestic LPG price hiked by Rs 60 per cylinder to Rs 913
New Delhi (PTI): Domestic cooking gas LPG price on Saturday was hiked by a steep Rs 60 per cylinder, the second increase in rate in less than a year, as oil companies pass on a part of the spike in global energy rates that followed the West Asia crisis.
Non-subsidised LPG - the one that common households use in kitchens - will now cost Rs 913 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi as against Rs 853 previously, according to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) website.
Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries - the over 10 crore poor who have got free LPG connection since 2016 - will also have to bear the same amount of price increase. They will now pay Rs 613 per 14.2 kg cylinder after accounting for a subsidy of Rs 300 per bottle they get for up to 12 refills in a year.
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The price increase, the website showed, is effective from March 7.
This is the second increase in rate in 11 months. The price was last hiked by Rs 50 in April last year.
Alongside, the price of commercial LPG - the one used by establishments such as hotels and restaurants - was increased by Rs 114.5 per 19-kg cylinder. It now costs Rs 1,883 in Delhi. This increase comes on top of Rs 28 per 19-kg cylinder raise effected on March 1.
Commercial LPG rate has risen by Rs 302.50 this year.
Industry officials said the increase follows a steep rise in global energy prices since the US and Israel attack on Iran last weekend triggered a wider military conflict in the oil and gas-rich Middle East.
The conflict has led to a near halt in tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz -the narrow but critical sea lane between Iran and Oman used by Middle Eastern producers to export oil and gas to global markets. The disruption has sharply curtailed energy shipments from the region, triggering a spike in global oil and gas prices.
Since the conflict broke out on February 28, US crude soared 35.63 per cent for the biggest weekly gain in the history of the futures contract dating back to 1983. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures closed at USD 90.90 per barrel. Brent jumped about 28 per cent for its biggest weekly gain since April 2020, to settle at USD 92.69 per barrel.
Asian spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) have also jumped to around USD 25.40 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) - a three-year high and more than double of last week's levels of around USD 10 per mmBtu amid fears of supply disruptions and halted exports from Qatar.
LPG markets have also tightened as shipments from key Gulf exporters face logistical disruptions, pushing international propane and butane benchmarks higher and raising concerns over supply availability for major importers such as India.
Despite Saturday's price increase, cooking gas in India is priced at the lowest when compared with neighbouring countries, industry officials said.
In Mumbai, non-subsidised LPG now costs Rs 912.50, Rs 939 in Kolkata and Rs 928.50 in Chennai, according to the IOC website.
Rates differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.
The Strait of Hormuz is also a critical conduit for India's energy imports, with roughly half of the crude oil the country buys from overseas transiting through the narrow waterway. In addition, nearly 40 per cent of India's natural gas imports, largely in the form of LNG from Gulf suppliers like Qatar and the UAE, also pass through the strait.
For LPG, the strait is more important. India consumed 31.3 million tonne of LPG in 2024-25, of which only 12.8 million tonne were produced domestically, with the remainder imported. Of the imported quantity, 85-90 per cent come from countries like Saudi Arabia that rely on the Strait of Hormuz for transit.
The Strait has been effectively blocked following a week-old escalation in the region, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to retaliate against US bases in neighbouring countries.
To augment domestic supplies, the government on Friday invoked sparingly used emergency powers to direct oil refineries to ramp up LPG production.
