The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Telugu Desam plumps for image makeover

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Thursday, May 31, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Telugu Desam plumps for image makeover

Y. Mallikarjun

To project itself as `more pro-poor, pro-ryot' in contrast to its earlier avatar of a hi-tech party

HYDERABAD: With just two years to go for the polls, the three-day silver jubilee of Telugu Desam's Mahanadu resolved to project itself as `more pro-poor, pro-farmer', in contrast to its earlier avatar of a hi-tech, pro-reforms party, even while seeking a larger role in national politics.

A three-pronged strategy was finalised for TDP's roadmap — to take the lead in preparing an alternative economic agenda to bridge the growing poor-rich gulf, bring like-minded parties on a single platform for a third alternative at national-level and infuse 40 per cent youth at various levels to galvanise the party for elections.

At the conference that concluded on Tuesday in the temple town of Tirupati, the main plank of TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu's address was that reforms pursued for the past 16 years had failed to improve living conditions of a majority of people and there was a need to initiate corrective measures by formulating an alternative economic policy.

He warned that widening disparities would lead to `hatred and frustration' among poor as benefits of the reforms had touched only a miniscule two to three per cent.

Meeting planned

In the backdrop of TDP looking to build bridges with Left parties, the tone and tenor of speakers reflected its strategy to reach out to poor, farmers and weaker sections. The TDP would convene a meeting with like-minded parties including the Left, to bring to the national centre-stage the exigency of a new economic agenda.

Simultaneously, it would intensify struggles on a range of people's issues as also the controversial Babli project in Maharashtra.

Maintaining that the political space occupied by `corrupt Congress' and `communal BJP' was getting eroded, Mr. Naidu saw a key role for regional parties in coalition politics in the coming years.

It was made clear that consensus on economic agenda would form the basis for a Third Front, rather than mere political expediency. In a strategic shift, the Mahanadu also did not touch upon the theme of integrated State.

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