Andhra Pradesh: TDP-BJP tussle intensifies post Budget, parties look for new allies

After Shiv Sena, yet another ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is threatening a political divorce.

After voicing strong protests against the 2018 Budget for 'betraying people of Andhra Pradesh' and being 'anti-people and corporate friendly', the TDP today indicated that it noises against the slow response by the centre on special assistance to Andhra are serious.

Top sources in TDP confirmed that the state's chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu may be chasing a political plan. Sources said that Naidu has summoned the TDP MPs to Vijayawada for a meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

It was confirmed to Mail Today that the agenda of the meet was the political situation arising out of the lack of response from the centre on TDP's demands for the new state.

Sources didn't rule out the fact that Naidu may be looking at a 'political alternative'.

READ | TDP declares war on ally BJP over 'raw deal' to Andhra Pradesh in Union Budget

Internally, the TDP is said to have already carried a ground check to assess the pros and cons of a split with the BJP and life without the party that leads the NDA in Delhi.

A senior TDP leader said, "The party has done an assessment. In 2014, BJP's vote share was nearly 2 per cent. One year away from the Lok Sabha polls the assessment is that BJP commands nearly 6 per cent votes. If the TDP decides to split the alliance the party will need to make up for this loss."

While a senior leader to play down the crisis said, "Mr. Naidu is angry. He has been meeting the prime minister but that has made little difference. Maybe if PM intervenes the issue will settle down."

However, another leader said, "There are few options. First among them could be informing the BJP that if the demands are not met soon, TDP can withdraw its members from the council of ministers."

Naidu is visibly unhappy over the lack of fiscal assistance and slow clearance of projects for the state formed after Telangana was created. Since Hyderabad, the financial capital of the undivided state went to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh has been suffering a revenue deficit.

A TDP minister in the government said, "On the midnight of August 8, 2016, after months of discussion, the centre had agreed to provide a special package to the new state. TDP agreed to drop its demand for a special state status. But till now not a penny of the package is here."

TDP said there are more unmet demands- ranging from Naidu government's plea to making Visakhapatnam a zonal railways headquarters, to clearing the Kadappa steel plant and several others.

But leaders in TDP say that beneath the battle over economic issues lies political tussle. Over the last few months, a section of the BJP despite being an alliance partner has been openly criticising the state government.

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Sensing the unrest the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu (YSR) Congress party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, tried to use the moment by declaring that he was ready for a tie-up with the BJP if the centre assured that Andhra Pradesh would be given a special category.

Naidu sources say he discussed the BJP's posturing and had asked cadres not to get provoked. During his last few meetings with PM Narendra Modi, the chief minister is said to have discussed the 'alliance'.

TDP sources say that if YSR Congress is making overtures to the BJP, Naidu has been working on a plan-B, which involves the small but popular outfit Jana Sena led by Pawan Kalyan. TDP leadership feels Kalyan can be an adequate replacement for the BJP if things go wrong.

The BJP too is wary. After all, the party had quit the NDA in 2002 after the Gujarat riots terming the BJP as communal and to regain the secular tag.

To improve his vote share Naidu is eyeing the sizeable minority vote in the state. Last time the Muslim vote had gone to the YSR Congress as the Congress party was seen as a weak rival to keep the BJP away.

The other segment is the Dalit Christians, who traditionally are against the BJP. Naidu soon after returning from his trip to Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF) meet launched the "Dalita Tejam", a platform to woo this section of voters. If the BJP represents the Hindutva upper caste sections, TDP is clearly eyeing the marginalised which were strongly behind late Y S R Reddy when he was with the Congress, and later with his son Jagan Mohan of YSR Congress.

This is not the first clear hint Naidu has dropped in the recent past. During the Nandyal assembly by-election last year, it promoted N D Farooq in the council which ensured a lot of minority votes shifting to the TDP.

The alliance trouble is not good news for the BJP as the party is desperate to gain toeholds in South India directly like in Karnataka or with allies in states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. In AP, if the alliance breaks the BJP will find it difficult to tie up with Jagan Mohan Reddy's party given that he faces corruption charges.

The tussle between the partners has set the pot on the boil in the state, which when undivided was the Congress' pet hunting ground. So much so that both in 2004 and 2009 the majority seats won by the party in undivided Andhra helped the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to be in power.