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ELECTIONS '96

Naidu puts off decision, but BJP is confident

A Special Correspondent

Contrary to speculation, the ruling Telugu Desam Party's politburo, which met twice today, did not take any decision on the question of supporting either the Congress or the BJP in forming a government at the Centre.

Briefing the media late tonight after the second politburo meeting, TDP supremo and Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said any decision in this regard would be taken only after discussions with the United Front leaders at the UF core committee meeting in New Delhi in a day or two.

He said he would go to Delhi tomorrow to hold discussions with UF leaders, including Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda who were in touch with him.

Though Naidu maintained that he had no intention of meeting the BJP leaders during his New Delhi visit, party sources said BJP president Lal Kishinchand Advani had a telephonic talk with the TDP chief earlier in the day.

Asked why Dilip Ray, Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Arcot Veerasamy and Union Information Minister S Jaipal Reddy called on him today, Naidu expressed his ire, saying that the visitors were 'uninvited' and 'this is not a correct approach'.

He maintained that his party was 'equidistant' from both the rivals, fighting the Congress in the state and the BJP at the national level.

Sources said Reddy and Veerasamy, a confidante of Dravida Munnetra Kazagham president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, had urged Naidu not to have any truck with the BJP.

Naidu's estranged brother-in-law, Dr Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, who had joined the BJP on the poll eve, visited his home in the full view of the media. But Naidu maintained that he had not met him.

While Naidu maintained that the party would decide on the issue after the UF core committee meeting, BJP sources said they had a 'positive indication' from him. The sources said Naidu was working out modalities to ensure that the BJP did not meddle in his party affairs and did not not create any situation, similar to the one in Uttar Pradesh, in Andhra Pradesh.

The saffron party's Andhra Pradesh unit has been in touch with Naidu through Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Renuka Choudhary.

BJP spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu has also pitched in, and seems to have already 'broke the ice' with Naidu. Though confident of the TDP's support, the BJP leader refused to divulge details of his discussion with the TDP supremo.

Reliable sources said the BJP's national leadership has also deputed Biju Janata Dal leader Dilip Ray to seek the TDP's support in forming a government at the Centre. The BJD is the BJP's alliance partner in Orissa.

Ray has already reached Hyderabad, even as the TDP, sources said, has decided not to support a Congress-led government at the Centre. The decision was taken by the TDP's politburo this afternoon at Naidu's Jubilee Hill residence.

During the meeting, Naidu apprised the party leaders of the Left Front's pressure on him to back a Congress-led government at the Centre. Naidu, however, assured them that he would not take any decision which would harm the party's interests.

Considering the rapid stride strides the saffron brigade has made in the state, Naidu may find it difficult to ignore the BJP's overtures.

A top TDP leader told Rediff On The NeT that Naidu and a majority of the politburo members were willing to back the BJP.

Two reasons seem to be driving the party to such a decision.

The TDP has been basically drawing its sustenance from its strident anti-Congress stand, right from the party's inception in 1983 -- the only exception was made by the late Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao who offered unconditional support to Telugu bidda (son) and then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, helping him win the Nandyal Lok Sabha seat with a record margin in 1991. So, now, though the TDP feels threatened by the Congress's impressive gains in the state, it cannot strike a deal with the party.

''We expressed our fears that the Congress may start playing 'dirty games' after coming to power,'' said the TDP leader. ''Moreover, the TDP has come to power on an anti-Congress plank.''

The other reason is that the Telugu Desam supremo may need the BJP's help to romp in the assembly election, slated for next year. The results -- the Congress has virtually swept the south coastal belt and the BJP has made a big dent, increasing its vote tally to 20 per cent in the state -- seem to have rattled Naidu. And he knows that something drastic has to be done if he has to retain power after the 1999 assembly election.

''The party's immediate worry is not who comes to power at the Centre,'' says Renuka Choudhary. ''But how it will do better in the next assembly election.''

Despite the emerging consensus in the TDP in the BJP's favour, Naidu seems to be reluctant as he is afraid of losing the Muslim vote, which the party has consolidated so well in this election.

However, the TDP's minority leaders have reportedly assured Naidu that the vote bank may not be affected by any pro-BJP decision. ''The Muslims hate the Congress as much as the BJP,'' said another TDP leader. ''Sonia Gandhi's apology for the Babri mosque demolition has made the Congress a 'sinner'.''

The TDP's Muslim leaders feel the party should offer conditional support, expressing reservations over the BJP's stand on issues like the Babri mosque, the Uniform Civil Code and Article 370.

''Why not lay such conditions and demand a Common Minimum Programme?'' a leader reportedly asked the TDP chief, forcing the latter to say, ''We must take all these things into consideration before finalising our strategy.''

The meeting also discussed the option of staying 'neutral' in the present scenario. But there were hardly any takers, said the source.

So, while the nation's eyes are again on the king-maker, the Telugu leader is grappling with his laptop, analysing the voting trends. ''To go it alone or rope in the BJP -- as his late father-in-law and TDP founder did in 1983,'' seems to be the dilemma.

The BJP's efforts to woo the TDP has caused considerable embarrassment to the party's state unit which, during electioneering, had vowed to throw out the Naidu government. Another reason is the party's alliance with the N T Rama Rao-Telugu Desam of Laskshmi Parvathi, who has drawn a blank in the Lok Sabha election.

Asked about this, BJP national vice-president Bangaru Laxman told Rediff On The NeT, ''The political scenario has changed. If Lakshmi Parvathi had done well, we would have had an alliance with her party. Where is the need to continue our seat-sharing agreement with her when NTR's widow has done so badly?''

Asked how the party would accommodate Naidu along with his arch rivals like Lakshmi Parvathi, state BJP president Bandaru Dattatreya quipped, ''It was for them to sort out their differences. As far as the BJP is concerned, we have no enemies and all are our friends.''

Retracting his pre-poll anti-Naidu rhetoric, Dattatreya said the saffron party was touch with Naidu. ''Since the main plank of the TDP was anti-Congressism, it should not have any problem in supporting the BJP. The state unit has authorised the national leadership to seek the TDP's support.''

Asked about the 100-point chargesheet the party had 'filed' against Naidu on the election-eve, Dattatreya said it was 'irrelevant' in the present scenario. His party's prime concern was to see that Vajpayee was made the prime minister.

Even Naidu seems to be keen on striking an alliance with the BJP, said Laxman. ''The TDP, too, has been reciprocating and we are confident of hammering out a 'clear-cut' and 'long-standing' understanding with Naidu.''

However, Naidu has been demanding a 'firm commitment' that the BJP should play a second fiddle in the state, sources said.

Besides trying to get the support of 12 TDP MPs, the BJP had begun talks with the Arunachal Congress which won both the seats from Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal Congress president and Chief Minister Gegong Apang reached New Delhi this afternoon to negotiate with the BJP leadership.

The BJP is trying to win over three other non-Congress MPs from Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, reports from Guwahati said.

The Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) of Om Prakash Chautala, which won four seats, has already announced its support to the BJP.

Official sources, meanwhile, said the 12th Lok Sabha would be formally constituted on March 11 when Chief Election Commissioner Dr M S Gill would call on President K R Narayanan and formally submit the election results.

with inputs from M S Shanker in Hyderabad and UNI

EARLIER REPORT:

Cong plans to head coalition with UF

Elections '98

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