By Sushil Kutty
Whether Telugu Desam Party head Chandrababu Naidu has a role in national politics in 2024 will depend on whether he is in the NDA or not. Naidu insists he will have a role and if talk of the TDP joining hands with the BJP is true, he may have a certain role. In any case, 2024 is still way ahead even if the speed at which one Friday is piling up on another, tells another story. Fact is, what will Naidu’s role be when Narendra Modi has already declared himself Prime Minister for a third straight term.
Chandrababu Naidu is no different for Modi than any other politician. Can anybody, any politician i.e., any politician of any party, including Modi’s party BJP, stand up and remind Modi that he cannot declare himself Prime Minister whenever he feels like. Instead, what we see is acquiescence – complete acceptance. And here’s Chandrababu saying he is “clear” about his role in 2024.
Alternatively, the TDP should aim to win the Andhra Pradesh assembly, elections for which are also scheduled for 2024. Naidu will be the happiest if he dethrones Jagan Reddy of the YSRCP. Chief Minister Reddy is clinging on to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s chair and ‘CBN’, the one-time ultra-powerful Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, cannot take it anymore.
‘CBN’ dreams of the day the TDP returns to power in AP and all the plans he has lined up for Andhra Pradesh come true. For the past several months and weeks, and days, there has been talk of the BJP joining hands with the TDP. The party of the Prime Minister kept these rumours alive – the buzz about TDP joining the NDA and the YSRCP settling for a supportive role in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Last heard, Naidu hadn’t wavered from his position. Neither Jagan Reddy nor JP Nadda. Everybody clung to their stated positions. So much so, when asked about his plans, Naidu stuck to “it is not the right time to talk about joining the NDA. I will talk about this at the right time.” Naidu’s “right time” has all been in the past, which does not bode well for his future.
Chandrababu Naidu even forgets that he was one of the founding fathers of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA, which he had left in a huff after the Centre denied “special status” for Andhra Pradesh. Now, after losing chances galore, Naidu continues to insist that his “priority” is Andhra Pradesh – his “big agenda”.
Chandrababu Naidu lives to rebuild and reconstruct Andhra Pradesh with a luxurious capital to boot, but from the looks of it, this dream of his will remain a dream and his dying wish because Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy is not going anywhere in a hurry to please Chandrababu Naidu or make Naidu’s dreams come true.
As for the BJP, it might as well sing nursery rhymes. Giving the reins of the AP unit of the BJP to NTR’s daughter G Purandeswari hasn’t made a whit of a difference. The BJP’s alliance with actor Pawan Kalyan’s Jan Sena Party is the only achievement so far. And Pawan Kalyan is no Hanuman with a scorched earth election winning policy that will make him the BJP’s idol.
For the rest of India, Andhra Pradesh is one state that does not register. It is like elections in AP run on empty. Neighbour Telangana takes all the attention and sucks out all the oxygen. Andhra Pradesh is yet to recover from the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. And while Jagan Mohan Reddy appears happy with the outcome, Chandrababu Naidu carries a big chip on his shoulders.
Naidu is stuck on making “Amaravati” AP’s capital while Jagan Mohan Reddy wants Visakhapatnam the capital. It is a stiff standoff. Does the BJP have a view? Andhra Pradesh was cut into two – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana – in June 2014. AP had to find a new capital in 10 years, which hasn’t happened.
Andhra Pradesh goes to polls in 2024 in both segments – assembly as well as parliamentary. There is not much excitement with all three major parties displaying only indifference. The Congress is comatose. The electorate is in a stupor. The BJP wants the TDP and the YSRCP to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi cling to his chair. The groundwork has been done and it all depends on the BJP now. The BJP has little presence in Andhra Pradesh and needs a strong regional ally to achieve Modi’s ambition to rule India for the third consecutive term. (IPA Service)
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