The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : A case of strange bedfellows News Analysis

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

A case of strange bedfellows News Analysis

The extent to which the TDP-CPI(M)-TRS combine crystallises into a friendship will have to be watched, writes
S. Nagesh Kumar

When Parliament votes on the UPA government’s vote of confidence on Tuesday night, the Telugu Desam Party, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and CPI(M) will find themselves on the same side of the political divide.

Besides, after years of animosity and diametrically opposite views on separate Telangana, TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu and his TRS counterpart are all set to break bread together at a breakfast being hosted by BSP supremo Ms. Mayawati on July 23.

Having discovered hitherto overlooked merits in Mr. Naidu, Mr. Rao was ready to meet him on Sunday itself at K. Yerran Naidu’ s dinner but other political engagements, crucial in his game plan of toppling the UPA government, kept him away. Mr. Naidu was a friend of 19 years’ standing though they differed politically, Mr. Rao said in an interview to a television channel. This paradigm shift will witness CPI(M), TDP, and TRS, voting against the Manmohan Singh government, although for totally different reasons. To what extent their solidarity against the UPA in far away Delhi crystallises into a political friendship back home will have to be watched with interest.

The reasons for the CPI(M)’s antipathy to the nuclear deal are only too well known. But, what is interesting here is the stand taken by Mr. Naidu who attained iconic status among corporates for ushering in reforms in the energy sector and who believes even now that the nation must shift to the fast track of second generation reforms.

Toeing the Left parties’ line, Mr. Naidu feels that putting so much at stake on the nuclear deal is simply not worth it. For all the cooperation with the United States, nuclear energy will contribute only six to seven per cent of the nation’s needs by 2020 against three per cent now. The TRS put a price tag for its support – separate Telangana – which the Congress refused to buy.

Political lows

The crisis for the UPA government has surfaced when the TDP and TRS, with five and two Lok Sabha members respectively, were passing through new political lows. The TRS was recovering from the crisis of confidence after its byelection debacle and the TDP was putting up with desertions by seniors. All this is behind them and both are playing the role of prima donnas on the national political stage. The TRS has effectively burnt its bridges with the Congress. On its part, the Congress had not snapped its links with the TRS in spite of the acrimony generated in the byelections. It reached out to the Telangana party by saying that it was not averse to a post-poll alliance.

Apparently, the TRS no longer needs the Congress as Mr. Rao feels more comfortable dealing with Ms. Mayawati who supports a separate Telangana. Mr. Naidu too is pleased with the developments that have helped overcome the setback caused by the Samajwadi Party quitting the United Progressive Alliance (UNPA).

A bonus for both is that they can rightfully claim in the next elections to have supported an SC for the Prime Minister’s post and woo the Scheduled Caste voters, who are traditionally with the Congress.

In a way, the nuclear deal has done to their parties what sustained campaigns by Mr. Naidu and Mr. Rao could not.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh