Why Chandrababu Naidu wants to please BJP, even if the party is rude to TDP
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is going all out to woo the BJP. That is the message he sent out to the party rank and file just before they concluded the three day annual mahanadu (party convention) in the port city of Visakhapatnam on May 29. “Do not criticise the BJP even if it does,” declared the TDP supremo.
“We have been a disciplined partner in the (National Democratic) alliance and supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government at every step. The alliance is meant to protect the interests of the TDP,” he emphasised before clarifying about future options. “Any decision on the continuance of the alliance will be taken before the elections.”
With less than two years to go for the next Assembly polls, Naidu is firm that while his government drives policy, the yellow shirt TDP activists brace themselves to ensure that the party is triumphant. “When we are doing everything for the people right from the birth of a child to welfare of the sections of society, they will not go for other parties. The party and the government will track the work you are doing and by next year, the cadre should ensure that 100 per cent of the voting is in favour of the party,” the TDP chief said.
He raised it from 80 per cent that he mentioned on the opening day.
What he has prescribed is a tall order but it is intended to galvanise the TDP cadres. Naidu is acutely aware that the TDP cannot go alone in the next Assembly elections. The party has never done that under his leadership. The TDP is a partner in the BJP–led NDA government at the Centre while the BJP is an ally of the TDP in the ruling coalition in Andhra Pradesh.
Naidu is wary about losing the BJP to the rival YSR Congress party of YS Jaganmohan Reddy. The debate on the TDP–BJP alliance has intensified in the party after Reddy called on the Prime Minister recently. There is speculation that Reddy may extend the support of the YSR Congress to the NDA’s presidential nominee, following his meeting with the Prime Minister. The relations between the two allies came under pressure when some TDP leaders criticised the BJP for allowing Reddy to meet Modi.
So, Naidu went all out to entertain BJP president Amit Shah who visited the state, on May 25, just before the TDP mahanadu. He urged Shah to ensure that the Centre takes early steps to fulfil all the commitments made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. The mahanadu has also, in a resolution, requested the central government to implement the Union Cabinet decision to accord legal sanctity to the special package announced for Andhra Pradesh and fulfil all commitments made in the Reorganisation Act of 2014. “There were many issues and provisions in the Act that had not been implemented so far,” says Naidu.
Even as he strives for the development of Andhra Pradesh, Naidu is conscious of the fact that in a federal polity the cooperation of the central government is crucial for any fresh impetus for growth. With Jaganmohan Reddy baying at his heels (the YSR Congress termed the mahanadu a food festival) and incumbency diminishing glitter, Naidu believes that it will be opportune for his party to sail with the BJP to make it a win-win situation for both.
(Courtesy: Mail Today)