New Delhi: Miffed with the BJP and 'pushed to the wall', Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu is not just contemplating political re-alignment ahead of state and Lok Sabha polls slated next year, but may even re-reinvent himself to lead the mobilisation of 'non-BJP parties' for a third front, just like he had done two decades ago.
The United Front - a group of non-Congress, non-BJP regional parties - came to power with outside support from the Congress in 1996. Naidu played a key role in the formation of the Front which was forged 'to keep BJP out of power’.
“BJP would have handed us an empty bowl if we had pressed with our demands in the first three and half years. If we are to face the electorate in 2019, we have to come out and make an issue out of promises not kept by the Centre regarding special status and package to state of Andhra Pradesh after the division of the state five years ago,” said a senior TDP MP.
The matters between the two allies have been simmering for a while now. The inflection point came after TDP chief met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi in the second week of January.
Ahead of the PM-Naidu meeting, TDP indicated that it may not back the government on the Triple Talaaq bill in the Budget Session of Parliament.
As TDP mulled options, a week later YSR Congress leader Jagan Mohan Reddy told News18 in an exclusive interview that his party was ready to go with “Modi if Andhra Pradesh is granted special status”.
Sources tell News18 that Naidu closely analysed Jagan’s statement ahead of his visit to World Economic Forum at Davos.
On his return- he weighed his options- and told reporters in Amravati- the proposed capital of the state- that he was willing to part ways if BJP did not want to continue the alliance.
His MPs including ministers in the central government have been vociferously critical of the union budget. “Perhaps BJP was attempting a Tamil Nadu in AP. Keep both regional forces engaged, as they have done in the case of DMK and AIADMK,” said a TDP MP.
Naidu has now called a meeting of his senior party leaders and MPs in Vijaywada on Sunday.
The party is mulling three options. As a first step- withdraw ministers from the Modi government, get Lok Sabha MPs to resign if demands are still not met, and finally, sever ties to formally walk out of the NDA.
“Since Congress is a no more a force in the state, to work with the Congress or not is an option TDP can explore post the next Lok Sabha elections. It would all depend of the arithmetic of the house,” says party leader on being asked to comment of the prospect of TDP joining a Congress-led front at the Centre.
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