TDP not to rock NDA boat

By R. J. Rajendra Prasad

HYDERABAD, MARCH 19. The Telugu Desam Party expects the present political crisis in New Delhi to end soon, as there is no likelihood of any other dispensation such as the third front forming a Government at the Centre, and no chance of the NDA Government quitting under pressure from the Congress and the Left parties on the Tehelka tapes issue.

The TDP is not willing to ditch the NDA partners at this juncture and cross the floor, to enable a third front come to power, on the ground that this will be morally as indefensible as bribe- taking by top NDA leaders. And the country is not ready for another general election after the 1996, 1998 and 1999 polls, say the TDP leaders. The people are not willing to have annual elections to the Lok Sabha, they add.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, who spoke to the press immediately after the tapes episode was made public, demanding a thorough inquiry, is however reluctant to discuss the further developments at the national level. ``I have already made my stand clear, of having a thorough inquiry, so where is the need to talk more about this again?'' he asked recently. The TDP leaders say the independent inquiry should also encompass the role of top bureaucrats in the Prime Minister's Office, such as Mr. Brajesh Mishra.

The question of the NDA Government seeking a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha also figured in informal meetings of the TDP leaders in the past two days, and the Telugu Desam is not enthusiastic about the proposal. Party leaders say that events have proved that their policy is correct, of extending only outside support to the NDA, and of not joining the Government, because this policy has insulated the Telugu Desam from the misdeeds of the BJP. However, the TDP will not be a party to any vote in Lok Sabha that will destabilise the NDA Government. It would like to avoid a vote being taken at all to save itself the embarrassment of supporting the NDA when the promised inquiry was yet to pin the responsibility of the guilty persons.

The TDP leaders say they are clearly disappointed at the type of the governance the BJP-led coalition has been able to provide, squandering opportunities to address the basic problems facing the people such as the distress among farmers due to lack of remunerative prices.

The BJP does not seem to have a coherent policy towards the nation's problems, as seen by the fact that different BJP leaders speak with different voices. They say Mr. Naidu brought this to the Prime Minister's notice on one or two occasions in the past.

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