TDP chief left 'friendless' in power quest

Telangana issue, rise of Jagan taking toll on Naidu, leaves pale shadow of his former self

 Once a “king maker” who played a key role in the formation of the United Front and the National Democratic Alliance governments at the Centre, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is virtually friendless in the changing political dynamics of the state.

The growing impact of Telangana statehood movement and the emergence of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy as a new political force are the two major factors that have pushed the once master strategist into a corner.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president who ruled the state for a record nine-year period from 1995 to 2004, appears a pale shadow of his former self. A sense of despondency has crept into his party cadre in the Telangana region because of his continued ambivalence over the contentious demand for separate state. In the Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, Jagan’s new political outfit, YSR Congress Party, appears to be making waves, according to an internal survey commissioned by the ruling Congress.

Naidu received a big jolt recently with the CPI and CPM, the TDP’s electoral allies since 2009, ditching him ahead of the March 18 by-elections. While the CPI, which supports the Telangana statehood demand, has decided to sail with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the dominant political force in the region, the CPM, which is opposed to the bifurcation of the state, will go it alone.

With this, the TDP is left alone in the electoral battle. In the 2009 Assembly elections, it was leading a “grand alliance” of the opposition parties comprising the TRS, CPI and CPM. The TRS has already severed links with the regional party, accusing it of being an “enemy of Telangana”.

After abandoning his pro-reforms image and embracing an aggressive form of populism, Naidu was optimistic that the left parties would continue the alliance with him. But, pragmatic calculations appear to have influenced the left parties to ditch the TDP.

Not long ago, Naidu was the toast of the national media and one of the most sought-after leaders in the national coalition politics. As a convener of the United Front, he played a key role not only in the policy making but also in deciding the prime ministerial candidates.

Later, during the NDA regime, his party’s outside support became crucial for the survival of the BJP-led coalition.

Known for his astute political strategies and organisational skills, Naidu had even claimed credit for proposing the candidature of APJ Abdul Kalam for the President’s post. He had a six-year long association with the NDA and fought the elections in 1999 and 2004 with BJP.

However, after losing power in 2004, Naidu severed his links with the saffron party and moved closer to the left parties in what was widely seen as an attempted image make-over. He even apologised to Muslims for his “past mistakes”.
The anti-farmer and pro-rich image was one of the main reasons attributed to the TDP’s rout in the elections. He had offloaded the reforms baggage and returned to populism with gusto.