TDP to split along regional lines?

THE ANDHRA Pradesh unit of the BJP would intensify its stir for a separate Telangana state. The party plans to resort to large-scale agitations for the purpose. The party’s Telangana Struggle Committee (TSC) headed by former Union minister, CH Vidyasagar Rao, maintained that the ruling Congress Party as well as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had deceived the people on the issue. The people, therefore, were looking towards BJP which alone could achieve statehood for the backward Telangana region. According to Rao, the Congress Party had betrayed the people of Telangana by failing to honour its promise to carve out a separate Telangana state. The Telugu Desam party (TDP) on the other hand, had not spelt out its stand on the issue while the people had rejected the TRS in the recent by-elections. To force the UPA government to carve out a separate Telangana state before the 2009 general elections and to intensify its agitational approach, the BJP would approach like-minded people, leaders of various political parties and intellectuals by September next. Rao addressed the press after a TSC meeting. TSC convenor Nagurao Namaji and ex-MP Janga Reddy were also present at the press conference. TSC’s representatives from ten districts attended the meeting held in Hyderabad. At the meeting, an action plan was also chalked out to intensify the agitation.

Meanwhile, TDP’s is still dilly-dallying on its stand vis-à-vis the demand for a separate Telangana state. To force the leadership to decide on the issue at the earliest, veteran party leader Rajeswara Rao lent support to the demand, violating party supremo Chandrababu Naidu’s directive that party leaders desist from publicising their views on the sensitive issue. Rajeswara Rao wanted the party to decide well ahead of the general elections since any further dilly-dallying would cost the party dearly at the general elections. A former communist leader, he once stood for a united Andhra Pradesh. But now he is of the view that Telangana should become a separate state so the injustice done to the region over the past 50 years could be undone. The deputy leader of TDP in the state assembly, Rajeswara Rao said a constructive dialogue on the issue was in the interest of the party and a decision would be taken soon.

Rao’s comments assume significance since they came two days after the TDP’s core committee met on the issue for the first time. Expectedly, Naidu said after the meeting that the party would take a stand on the issue after more deliberations. Senior party leader T Devender Goud, who is in favour of the demand (vide, 'Telangana state: TDP can dilly-dally no more') was reportedly sidelined at the said five-member committee meeting. A hurt Goud reportedly held covert talks with party colleagues, including, Rajeswara Rao and his followers to chalk out his future course of action.

Every time Naidu defers the party’s stand on the Telangana issue, it convinces the pro-Telangana elements even more that he is not in favour of the demand for a separate Telangana state. If Naidu’s track record is anything to go by, such scepticism on the part of the pro-Telangana elements is not unjustified. After all, when he was the state’s chief minister during the period 1995-2004, he had
opposed bifurcation of the state. Incidentally, Naidu himself is from the backward Rayalseema region of AP. Only when the TDP lost in the previous elections, he hinted that he was prepared to review his stand on the issue. But he has another thing coming – according to the grapevine, Devender Goud will soon serve an ultimatum to him, forcing him to decide on the party’s stand vis-à-vis the issue. If he does not decide on the issue or if he decides against grant of statehood to the Telangana region, Devender Goud will join the BJP. The latter reportedly has hinted already that Goud was welcome in the BJP!