This year is very special for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu in more ways than one. For starters, he completed 40 years in active politics. On Thursday, the ruling party MLAs thumped benches innumerable times during Naidu’s address, which marked his oath-taking as Congress MLA four decades ago on the same day.
As he highlighted his achievements and obstacles during his political career in the state assembly, Naidu was not exactly in a celebratory mood. His son and IT minister, Nara Lokesh, seated some distance away was the whipping boy of actor Pawan Kalyan, the previous evening.
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Extremely challenging times lay ahead for the three-time chief minister, who now has a big responsibility to pull the party to safety.
Outsmarted by YSR Congress Party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, targeted by actor and Jana Sena Party founder Pawan Kalyan and orphaned by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the TDP finds itself cornered, closer to the state and general elections.
The TDP has been forced to follow the agenda set by the YSRCP on more than one occasion. While the opposition party stuck to the demand for a special status to Andhra Pradesh, the ruling party did a flip-flop on the same issue. In the past, it had supported the special package given by the NDA and later, changed its stand and supported special status demand following strong reaction from the public.
During his Praja Sankalpa Yatra, Jagan had announced that his party MPs will resign in April. With mounting pressure, TDP was forced to show it had a spine and pulled out its ministers from the Modi cabinet. On Thursday, after YSRCP MP Y.V. Subba Reddy gave a notice to move a no-confidence motion against the council of ministers, the TDP was in a dilemma whether to support the move or not. After initially agreeing to side with the YSRCP, the TDP backtracked on Friday and declared that it would introduce a no-confidence motion on its own. TDP MP Thota Narasimham submitted a notice to introduce a no-confidence motion on Monday.
“We will take the signatures of 54 MPs and introduce no-confidence motion on Monday,” said TDP Rajya Sabha MP C.M. Ramesh in New Delhi. Other senior party leaders said that their’s was the “serious” no-confidence motion compared to that of the YSRCP.
On Friday morning, Naidu hurriedly held a teleconference with his politburo members and took another key decision apart from moving a no-confidence motion. He decided to pull out of the National Democratic Alliance, almost a week after two ministers resigned from the Union cabinet. Though it was an expected move, what seems to have fastened the process was the tirade by Pawan Kalyan.
Two weeks back, when the actor’s PR team invited media persons for an informal chat at a star hotel, Pawan hinted at something unexpected to come. “Wait till March 14. You will know,” is what he said when a reporter asked about his future plans and political alliances.
March 14 is the formation day of his party and on that day, he addressed thousands in Guntur, close to Amaravati. What he spoke took everyone by surprise.
“Are you aware how corrupt your son, Lokesh is?” He asked Naidu from the stage.
This was the script that nobody had a clue about. All the while Pawan had to field uncomfortable questions about Naidu, his close ally since 2014 elections, directing him on his political moves. It had been a routine question at every press conference about why he was being soft on TDP.
However, barring a few sentences that were reserved for BJP and YSRCP, Pawan went all out against TDP on Wednesday evening. The actor hit where it hurts the most. Even the opposition had not targetted the scion of TDP, the way Pawan did.
“I have heard that your son is also involved in the Shekar Reddy (accused of money laundering and based in Tamil Nadu) case. People have been talking about it,” he said. He continued to aim at Naidu’s son, who is a member of MLC and a new entrant to the state cabinet.
He went to the extent of saying that legendary actor and former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao, as a grandfather, would be saddened by the misdeeds committed by his grandson.
For someone like Naidu, who took pride in talking about his clean governance and transparent rule, Pawan’s attack was unexpected and deeply damaging.
The TDP’s top brass did not immediately respond and took time to analyse the situation. After coming to a conclusion that BJP was the force behind Pawan, the TDP decided to pull out and take BJP head-on.
The YSRCP and the TDP are on the same side of the fence for once, and they already seem to have garnered the support of some of the non-NDA parties. Though the outcome of the no-confidence motion is more or less expected with NDA having the required numbers, the two regional parties wish to safeguard their political interests in Andhra Pradesh with this particular step.