United Front’s leaning towards Congress drove Chandrababu Naidu away

Thus, when the UF constituents, particularly the CPM, started talking of supporting a Congress-led government at the Centre even before that party itself could assess whether it was in a position to form the government or not, it was evidently not to Naidu’s liking.It was then that he started thinking of an anti-Congress front, as the TDP thrives mainly on this plank.

It was but natural for regional parties like the National Conference of Farooq Abdullah and the Asom Gana Parishad to throw in their lot with him as the Congress is their main enemy in Jammu and Kashmir and Assam respectively.

Having once been in their ranks, Naidu can neither afford to rub shoulders with Congressmen again, lest they gang up against him from within, nor stop his partymen from drifting once they are with the Congress.

On the other hand, Congressmen cannot stomach Chandrababu’s meteoric rise at the national level, where he (they admit grudgingly) "played the kingmaker" and continues to do so now. Indigestible too is the fact that with just a dozen MPs in the Lok Sabha, he has been able to grab the coveted Speaker’s post for his party. While many sections, including whatever is left of the United Front, were vitriolic in their attack against Chandrababu Naidu for his `politicalsomersault’, his partymen take pride in the fact that with a handful of members, the TDP has been able to bag one of the highest posts in the land. Their leader was instrumental in installing the first Dalit President of the country and now the first Dalit Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The Telugu Desam is not in a tearing hurry to join the BJP-led government at the Centre, as is sought to be made out in some quarters. In all probability, it may watch the performance of the Vajpayee government before taking the plunge.

But in the remotest possibility of the Telugu Desam backing the Congress, the anti-Congressism so assiduously built up by the late N T Rama Rao would have gone abegging, probably the BJP way. Looking at it from the TDP point of view, Naidu has nothing to gain with the Congress coming to power at the Centre. The Congress MPs from Andhra Pradesh who would have been in the Cabinet would have taken the credit for the schemes initiated by Naidu. Furthermore, they would even have tried to ease him outonce they were firmly in the saddle.

"You would have to think of how the State would benefit. Being a regional party, State interests would be top priority for us," a senior TDP leader points out. Indeed by sailing with BJP, Naidu has a lot to gain. He can not only influence Delhi to get important projects cleared, but closer home he is in a stronger position to settle scores with political opponents.