Naidu flogs NBW, but case was filed during Congress rule in Maharashtra

Elections may be round the corner in neighbouring Telangana but as far as action goes, it’s Andhra Pradesh that is grabbing the headlines in the last few days.

Elections may be round the corner in neighbouring Telangana but as far as action goes, it’s Andhra Pradesh that is grabbing the headlines in the last few days with the ruling Telugu Desam Party tying itself up in knots. While its daily diatribe against the BJP can be considered part of politics in the run-up to the elections in 2019, the drama that began last Thursday gives one the impression that the party is either turning paranoid or being too clever by half.

How else can one explain the TDP and its chief N Chandrababu Naidu’s spin on the non-bailable warrant issued against him by a local court at Dharmabad in Nanded district? For the uninitiated, the warrant was issued against Naidu and 15 others for defying prohibitory orders and staging a protest against the construction of the Babli project in Maharashtra way back in July, 2010. The TDP chief was then the leader of the opposition in the undivided Andhra Pradesh and the protest was ostensibly aimed at highlighting how the project across the river Godavari could turn Telangana region into a veritable desert. If the purpose of the protest was to strengthen the party in Telangana, the following bypolls at the time put paid to any such expectations.

The case, however, continues to drag given the slow pace of the judiciary. BJP leaders claim NBWs were issued several times to Naidu for non-appearance in court. They also came up with the case sheet to prove that NBW was first issued, even if not executed, in 2015 when the TDP was in NDA. Naidu, nonetheless, alleges that it is yet another instance of vendetta politics being played by the saffron brigade and has been pointing accusing fingers at the Fadnavis government in Maharashtra. Considering that these kind of NBWs are a matter of routine for politicians of all hues, TDP leaders are understandably having a tough time taking this particular victimhood narrative forward.

The question that arises then is why is Naidu making a mountain of a molehill? Surely he is not paranoid. A 24/7 career politician with four decades of experience, he appears to be pressing forward with two objectives in mind. First, to boost the party morale in Telangana where it is on the edge of an abyss having been branded an Andhra party; and second, to gain some advantage in the tough negotiations for seat-adjustments with the Congress in that state. Towards this end, party insiders say he could even appear in person in court on September 21.

The irony here is that the case against him and his party colleagues was slapped when the Congress was in power in Maharashtra and with whom he has now joined hands to redefine the TDP. Whatever his intentions, the TDP chief is exposing himself to ridicule by harping on the NBW. Any loss of credibility at this crucial juncture in Andhra could be worse than any advantage he may derive in Telangana.

As it is, his move to break bread with the Congress has made several TDP leaders queasy. The party was founded by the late NTR to oppose the Congress. To re-engineer it requires a sound reason. Naidu is convinced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reason enough to effect that change. He believes for good reason that an alliance with the Congress is in the best interests of the party in Telangana.

That may well be the case, but a section of the TDP leaders fear a backlash against the alliance in Andhra, where people have uprooted the Congress lock, stock and barrel for its role in the division of the state. It’s a risk Naidu is taking but he senses signs of Congress revival in the country and an end to the Modi sarkar in 2019. If one looks at his career, more often than not, he has been good at picking the winning horse. The special category status promised to the state by Congress president Rahul Gandhi has already made the party likeable to some extent once again, thanks to the BJP’s refusal to accord the same.

Sources privy to the TDP thinktanks say alliance in Andhra could also be on the cards but depends on how it fares in Telangana polls. If they are to be believed, the Congress is already seeking six MP seats in Andhra arguing that it could offset any dents that actor Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena might inflict on the TDP. For now though, both sides have ruled out a tie-up in Andhra. But it seems only logical and a matter of time.

Kalyan Chakravarthi

Deputy Resident Editor, Andhra Pradesh

Email: chakravarthy@newindianexpress.com

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