Telugu Desam going all out to please TRS chief

VV Balakrishna
First Published : 05 May 2009 02:47:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 05 May 2009 11:38:03 AM IST

HYDERABAD: With suspicion lurking at the back of their minds that they might not get the simple majority to form government on their own, TDP leaders are trying to keep the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in good humour to ensure that it does not veer towards other parties.

TDP leaders feel that in case they fail to get the majority, support of the TRS will become crucial to form government.

In spite of their claims that the TRS will continue in the Grand Alliance, the TD leaders are closely monitoring the `political-steps’ of Rao.

In the event of a hung situation, the TDP would badly require the support of alliance partners - TRS, CPM and CPI. The TDP even wants to include the allies in the next government, raising curtain on the first coalition government in the State.

As part of its appeasement policy, the TDP is agreeing to all conditions put forth by the TRS, including a noobjection to adopting a resolution favouring Telangana statehood in the first session of the 13th Assembly.

Today, party leader R Chandrasekhara Reddy assured that the TDP would take disciplinary action against the party rebels who contested against TRS candidates in the Assembly elections.

During campaigning, the TRS chief, unlike in the past, talked less about separate Telangana and more about TDP’s Cash Transfer and colour TV schemes. But after the elections, he started openly doubting the mass appeal of the scheme while opening up his options for a post-poll tie-up.

“Separate Telangana is on the top of our agenda. We will support whichever party assures T,’’ a TRS leader said. It means the TRS may not continue in the Third Front and is even prepared to support either Congress or BJP at the Centre. It seems the TDP even acquiesced to the latest stand of the TRS. ``We have no objection if the TRS supports the NDA at the Centre. In the State, it will remain in the Grand Alliance,’’ a TDP politburo member said. “Extending support to NDA is the individual opinion of the TRS chief. The TRS will remain in the Grand Alliance,’’ TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu said recently.

Despite the accommodative spirit being shown by the TDP, the TRS is likely to demand deputy speaker or deputy chief minister’s post to join the TDP-led coalition government

TDP: One eye here, one eye there

Going into this byelection, the TDP sounds a lot like the Lok Satta Party. It talks of `bigger’ problems such as development, Babhali project, weavers’ suicides, price rise, corruption. As an insider said, when a party fields `symbolic’ candidates such as Telangana suicide victims’ relatives, it means it is playing for the media coverage rather than the sweepstakes.

It is uncertain what the Telangana voter’s reaction to the Chandrababu Naidu’s sophistry will be. His two-eyes policy has left Telangana TDP leaders walking a tightrope. The moot question is whether the TDP will be able to convince voters that the TDP alone can fight for their `real’ problems.

Privately, TDP leaders admit that Sentiment is much stronger now than in earlier elections. In a candid admission, a TDP potential nominee said Telangana was the only issue in this byelection.

The ray of hope for him is that other issues may tilt the balance in his favour in the threecornered contest.

TDP chief Naidu will tell voters that Telangana witnessed rapid progress only during his nine-year tenure as chief minister. He will blame the Congress for the illegal construction of the Babhali project in Maharashtra and how SRSP, the main source of water for northern Telangana, dried up due to the ineffeciency of the Congress.

Naidu will enumerate the TDP’s efforts as an opposition party in dealing with issues related to Telangana. The TDP alone has waged a war against the illegal construction of Babhali since 2005. The TDP fought against printing the skull symbol on beedi rolls, the plight of Gulf victims, the weavers’ plight, etc.

Two-eyed Naidu’s difficulty in this byelection is that one of his eyes is perforce cocked to Coastal Andhra.

However, Naidu is a clever poll manager and will look to score some important points for his party. He will do his hard work on getting the caste equations right. The hope for the TDP lies in the fact that the PRP, the spoiler in 2009, is not in the fray now. Plus, the TDP has a strong cadre base in the region.

All said and done, the cards are stacked against TDP and it remains to be seen whether the TDP will be able to retain its Vemulavada seat at least.

- VV Balakrishna