HYDERABAD, April 7: The alliance between the ruling Telugu Desam and the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Andhra Pradesh is on the verge of collapse as a fallout of the former's decision to sail with the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre."Now, there is no political basis to continue the alliance with the TDP as it has sided with a communal party and dealt a blow to secular forces," a top CPI leader said.
The three-day meeting of the CPI state council concluding here today is likely to formalise its dissociation with the ruling party.
The speakers at the closed-door meeting, including CPI national general secretary A B Bardhan and its secretariat member J Chittaranjan, were of the view that alliance with the ruling party had become untenable following its decision to extend issue-based support to the Vajpayee government.
"There is no possibility of electoral alliances with the TDP in future. We will continue our role as a constructive Opposition," he said.
The traditional friendship between thetwo parties came under strain ever since TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu snapped ties with the United Front and bailed out the BJP government during the trial of strength in the Lok Sabha.
The CPI leader denied that differences had cropped up during the meeting over future relationship with the TDP. "There was unanimity that we should continue as an independent Opposition. The TDP cannot take our support for granted now," he said. The party's national leadership was particularly peeved over Naidu's remarks attributing motives to the UF leadership and his "specious" argument that his party was under political compulsion to support the BJP in order to block the Congress from making a backdoor entry to power. The meeting also rejected the Chief Minister's appeal to Left parties to take a "regional stand" on the issue and appreciate his compulsions. "It is he (Naidu) who has snapped ties with us by sailing with the BJP ignoring our repeated warnings against such a move," he said. The party would, however, supportall "good and pro-poor" policies of the TDP government, he said. The TDP's secular credentials had come under cloud following its "tragic volte face" on the issue of supporting the BJP government, the CPI leader said.
Though the TDP has initiated damage-control exercise by repeatedly asserting that it would not join the Vajpayee government, the Left leaders appear to be far from impressed.
Meanwhile, the CPI (M), another Left ally of the TDP, is also cut up with the ruling party in the wake of post-poll political developments which saw the TDP gravitate towards the BJP. Sources said the party's Central leadership would take a decision on the future of its alliance with the TDP soon.
TDP takes stock
Smarting under electoral setbacks in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the Telugu Desam today began a constituency-wise stock-taking exercise to identify factors that led to its poor performance particularly in coastal Andhra Pradesh.The post-poll reviews will continue till April 27 with ChiefMinister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu personally studying feedback reports on two Lok Sabha constituencies each day, party sources said.
Today's meeting, presided over by Naidu, reviewed the party's performance in Medak and Karimnagar constituencies which were bagged by the Congress and the BJP respectively.
Meanwhile, as part of the preparations for the Assembly elections due next year, the TDP has decided to appoint 12 observers -- one for every two districts -- to coordinate with the cadre.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
