Telugu Desam Party (TDP) did not go the full hog and only pulled out its two ministers - A Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary - from the Union Cabinet, stopping short of exiting from the National Democratic Alliance. The big questions are if Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu believes he was hurt, why is he still with the NDA? Why did he not walk out? Is there a lack of conviction in the battle he was waging or is he wary of the corruption charge coming back to haunt him?
TDP’s decision to pull out its ministers and not withdraw from the NDA will not auger well for the party. A clear lack of conviction is visible in what could be termed as a partial victory and a partial loss. The TDP expected the BJP to concede to its long-pending demand of Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. And when Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said ‘’no’’ to the demand, it meant that the road which the TDP had walked with the NDA was virtually coming to an end.
While there have been multiple tipping points between the BJP and the TDP, it appears unlikely that Naidu is going to pull out of the NDA any time soon. While continuing with the NDA, Naidu would look to consolidate his position further while also keeping his options open for a third front. On the other side, TDP will be apprehensive that hurting the BJP at this juncture could lead to witch-hunting of his core team. The soft and humble tone of resignation letters which praised Modi and the saffron party was testimony of the fact that TDP doesn’t want to push this beyond the resignations.
It is also clear that there is a game of one-upmanship that is being played out in the background where YSR Congress and Left parties have been waging more intensive campaigns in favour of special status. YSR’s Jagan Mohan Reddy had announced resignation of his Lok Sabha MPs on April 6 if the demand for the special category status for Andhra is not met.
Although special status has been a bone of contention, parties have suddenly started to look at the bigger picture of the 2019 polls. Finance minister Arun Jaitley’s offer of a special special package with equivalent funding to the state seems not good enough to entice the belligerent TDP, neither could the last-minute call from the PM himself soothe ruffled feathers.
While Naidu may have appeared a martyr and a victim since his ministers have quit, Modi will emerge as a hero since there is no damage to the NDA for now. It is to be seen how Naidu’s voters will accept their Chief Minister’s change-of-heart by staying put with the NDA. Is this an undercurrent ahead of the 2019 poll where Naidu is weighing his chances? Or is the party trying to be in the race with YSR Congress which is covering huge ground? Time will tell.
