Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been playing his cards close to his chest with regard to forging an alliance with the Congress party in the state in the next elections, even as the Congress party has declared that it would go it alone in the elections.
Yet, the speculation of a prospective TDP-Congress alliance has sparked off debate in the media circles and evoked loud protests from senior ministers like Ch Ayyanna Patrudu and K E Krishna Murthy within the TDP. There have been rumblings here and there in both the parties.
While there is still an element of uncertainty in this regard, chairman of Andhra Jyothy group Vemuri Radhakrishna seems to be more interested than Naidu himself on the TDP-Congress alliance. In his weekly column on Sunday, Radhakrishna came out with the strong defence of the alliance.
“There might be truth in the talk that the TDP was founded on the basic principle of anti-Congressism. But the conditions those days were different.
“For that matter, the TDP, being a secular party, was also against the BJP but had to make political adjustments with the latter in the interest of the state.
“So, if the alliance with the Congress benefits the people of the state, in terms of fetching special category status and other promises, Naidu, in his own wisdom, can take such a decision,” Radhakrishna said.
He also expressed anger over the voices of dissent against the alliance talk.
“Who knows better than Naidu about the state’s interests? If such revolt comes within the Congress or the YSR Congress or the BJP, such leaders will be sacked immediately. Naidu also should deal firmly with such rebellious characters,” he suggested.
For the matter, several Congress leaders in Andhra are against the alliance, fearing that if it happens, the Congress would permanently become a “tail party” of the TDP. They pointed out how the BJP had become an insignificant player in AP now.
“If we remain independent, we can regain our glory if not today, but at least tomorrow. But, if the Congress aligns with the TDP, it will lose its identity forever, as was the case in Tamil Nadu,” a senior Congress leader said.