Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

TDP, CPI(M) to work in tandem

- PHOTO: P. V. SIVAKUMAR

Friends again: TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu with the CPI(M) leader B.V. Raghavulu in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

HYDERABAD: Two days after clinching an alliance with the CPI, Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu drove down to Makineni Bhavan to meet CPI (M) State Secretary B. V. Raghavulu on Wednesday to cement the relationship with the Left parties.

In what appeared to be an attempt to rub salt into the wounds of political parties that felt disappointed by the CPI’s significant announcement of the alliance with the TDP, Mr. Naidu spoke to Mr. Raghavulu for nearly 90 minutes and later announced their decision to work together for the defeat of the Congress. CPI (M) sources said it was after a decade that Mr. Naidu visited the CPI (M) State office. At a joint press conference later, Mr. Naidu and Mr. Raghavulu described the coming together as a ‘holy alliance’ to fight the corruption and anti-people policies of the Congress. It was part of a broad understanding reached at the national level to fight both the Congress and BJP. To a question, Mr. Naidu said there was no problem if the TRS wants to join TDP and Left parties but wanted it to avoid conflicting statements. “All four parties have worked together in the last session of the Assembly but TRS of late was making different statements.”

Asked if he regretted the police firing on anti-power hike agitators at Basheer Bagh during the TDP rule, he said he done it at that time and would do so again. He said the Congress and Praja Rajyam leaders who raked this up were forgetting that seven people were killed in the Mudigonda police firing. The Congress’ criticism only shows that it was scared of losing power.

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