The Telugu Desam Party has not strengthened the incoming National Democratic Alliance government by deciding to extend only "issue-based support" to it. As it is a continuation of the policy the TDP has been following so far, it may not cause much surprise. Obviously, party chief Chandrababu Naidu feels that it is better to remain outside the government than accept a few ministerial berths. From his narrow, regionalist viewpoint, it makes sense. For instance, the clout Naidu enjoyed on the outgoing government was no less than that of any other leader, though he bargained for and obtained only the Speaker's post. As one of the TDP MPs has inadvertently blurted out, by remaining outside, the party would be able to get a better deal in terms of allocation of resources for the state. It is difficult to quantify the exact economic benefits that accrued to Andhra Pradesh during the 16 months of the outgoing Vajpayee regime. But politically, he benefited immensely. By not joining the NDA and reaching only anunderstanding on sharing of seats, he killed two birds with one stone. The alliance with the BJP helped the TDP to get those extra votes that were necessary to defeat the Congress in quite a few seats. As he was not part of the NDA, he could scotch the apprehensions of his Muslim voters, which helped him score a decisive victory.Naidu does not want to fritter away these advantages, more so when joining the NDA government would have forced him to accommodate some representatives of the BJP in his own government. This would have deprived the TDP of the monopoly of power it enjoys in the state. Besides, the experience of Jayalalitha, who lost control over the MPs belonging to her group once they joined the government, must also have played a role. In his perception, he has the necessary strength, which the BJP can only ill-afford to ignore, to get what he wants from the government. However true this may be, it is tantamount to reducing politics to crass commerce. There can be no disputing that in AndhraPradesh as in most other states, one prime consideration for the voters was Vajpayee's leadership qualities. What follows from this is that the TDP has a moral responsibility to strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister on whose popularity it gained votes. The question, therefore, is whether he can perform this task by remaining outside the government or not.It could, of course, be argued that apart from its propensity to keep the government on tenterhooks, the TDP's conduct in the 12th Lok Sabha was above reproach, unlike some other BJP allies. But the situations are not similar as in the 1998 elections, the TDP had no electoral tie-up with the BJP. As regards the NDA, Naidu's decision is a setback inasmuch as it will raise doubts about Vajpayee's ability to provide a stable government. It is not for no reason that Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav sees in the TDP stance potential for the government's downfall. His hopes may be farfetched but the point that the TDP alone has the necessarystrength to destabilise the government cannot be overlooked. That is why it does not matter to the government whether O.P. Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal joins the government or not. So long as the TDP remains outside the government, the NDA will find questions about the stability of its government extremely embarrassing.
