Nageswara Rao Thamanam
The lust for power has led the TDP to abandon its old plank of opposing the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and lend its full-throated support to the proponents of a separate Telangana. This is quite a volte-face by the party that has been countering bifurcation calls almost ever since the separatists grouped themselves under the Telengana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) flag. Though what the move will do for the TDP in the coming elections is uncertain as of yet, it is bound to help it put a brake on desertions. Yet, there are still several glitches to be attended to. First, a separate Telangana is not the only issue obsessing the electorate. Secondly, the party’s stand does not appear to have had any appreciable impact on the non-Telangana crowd. The TRS electoral gains in the last general elections had nothing concrete to suggest that the votes the TRS got were endorsements for a separate Telangana. Any doubts about this end when you consider closely the disaster that befell TRS when it resigned both its Lok Sabha and Assembly seats and sought re-election. The move cost it several seats, even as it benefited the TDP which at that stage was still opposed to a separate Telangana. And even the Congress, which is blamed for reneging on its promise of granting statehood, gained at TRS' expense. But the real point here is that none of this has affected the electoral prospects of the parties in the non-Telangana region. It is difficult at this stage to say how much Babu’s somersault will benefit him in the polls. For the ruling Congress, all this is proving to be a continuing headache, because nothing can suit it better than a divided opposition. And this prospect may already be lost. The reigning paradox here is that the call for a separate Telangana has in unknown ways served to keep the opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh united. But if YSR triumphs against a united opposition, his stature will grow manifold, and the pro- and anti- Telangana blocks could well melt into nothing. As it is there is strong likelihood of the statehood issue assuming secondary status in the elections; and many say the wiser option would be to identify newer, more ingenious poll planks. Going by the general drift of things this time, there’s clearly a Telangana fatigue in the air.
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