NAIDU’S CLOUT DIPS ON NATIONAL STAGE

Has Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, who once who played a key role in national politics, lost ground over the last few months?

The idea of the federal front was floated not by him but by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

In the case of the no-confidence motion sought to be moved by his party against the BJP government at the Centre, it was the Congress and other parties that have taken advantage.

His decision to end his party’s ties with the BJP after a four-year long alliance has also not gone down well with some parties that are close to the TD. Moreover, he has himself repeatedly declared that he is not interested in national politics and will confine himself to his state.

This is a far cry from the days when Mr Naidu played a key role in national politics as the convenor of the United Front. To form the government at the centre, the United Front took the support of the Congress party, arch rival of the TD.

In AP too, all political parties criticise Mr Naidu for not being a reliable friend.

Nationally also, the perception of Mr Naidu being unreliable gaining ground.

According to Mr Ram Madhav, BJP general secretary and in-charge of the party’s AP unit, “Mr Naidu was never a reliable friend. The Telugu Desam was never a dependable ally at national level as he changes his views as per his political benefits.”

When all Opposition parties are busy with the noconfidence motion in Delhi, Mr Naidu has confined himself to daily teleconferences with party MPs and has not visited Delhi to consult with the leaders of other political parties. The no-confidence motion against the NDA government has come in for criticism from parties who were friendly to the TD.

Though the Shiromani Akali Dal has supported the TD’s decion to pull out of the NDA, its floor leader in the Lok Sabha Naresh Gujral said “the current situation is such that we cannot decide who to trust”.

The latest example of the inconsistencies in Mr Naidu’s position is the noconfidence motion.

When the YSR Congress moved the no-confidence, Mr Naidu had said the TD will support it. But less than 12 hours later, he decided to move a no-trust vote against the NDA government himself. He said the TD could not support a no-trust vote moved by a party led by the number one accused in several cases.