Although their political compulsions don’t permit a tie-up at the moment, Telugu Desam’s N. Chandrababu Naidu has opened a line of dialogue with the CPI(M) leadership. Over the past few weeks, the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh has been in touch with CPI(M) politburo members, including party general secretary Prakash Karat.Karat admitted this evening that there has been some contact between him and Naidu. But, he made it clear that this had nothing to do with either the CPI(M) sending a strong signal of a possible political realignment and formation of a Third Front or of the Left party moving away from the Congress.For Naidu, faced with the kind of majority that the Congress enjoys in his state now, he cannot even dream of the Y.S.R. Reddy’s government not lasting its entire term. These are overtures he is sending to his old ally with a long-term plan: The possibility of a Third Alternative emerging in late 2007 or early 2008 if UPA is not fragmented by then.But the conversations have sent signals to major players like the BJP and the Congress. The TDP has been warning the BJP for sometime now that it will not play along if its policies become too Hindutva-centric. The decision it took not to persist with the boycott of Parliament is an indicator that it is willing to pursue a more independent path. Even former CM Jyoti Basu has lauded the TDP decision not to boycott Parliament. The question of TDP going over to the UPA does not arise because the Congress remains its main rival in Andhra.
