UNPA ready to face mid-term polls, says TDP

HYDERABAD: “Speak against US President George W Bush to woo Muslims and the Left,” this is the latest strategy of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which is trying hard to win the confidence of minorities and Communists for some time now.

The TDP is leaving no stone unturned to take every political opportunity from the latest controversy in the country arising out of the nuclear agreement reached by Delhi with US.TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday convened an emergency meeting with the senior party colleagues to discuss the political situation in the country over the controversy on nuclear agreement.

He also telephoned to CPM general secretary Prakash Karat and volunteered full cooperation to the Left in and outside the Parliament on the nuclear agreement wrangle.Naidu reportedly told the party leaders that George Bush was responsible for political unrest in Muslim countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. Bush imposed conditionalities on Muslim countries.

Bush even directed India not to purchase oil from Muslim countries. Now, Bush was trying to reign in supremacy on India through the nuclear agreement, Naidu reportedly explained.Naidu, who recently toured US and shared common dais with former US President Bill Clinton while he was in power, is taking pot-shots against the US President now and painting him as ‘anti-Muslim’. Analysts feel that this is nothing but to garner the votes of minorities in the next elections.

As the CPM too is strongly opposing the nuclear agreement, Naidu is trying to grab the opportunity to move closer to the Left. Naidu announced that the United National Progressive Alliance, in which TDP is a key constituent, was ready for elections whenever they are held.However, on the possibility of mid-term polls, there is a diverse opinion in the TDP. “We are ready for elections.

If elections are held now it would be an advantageous for TDP,” a party general secretary commented.“We went for early elections in 2004 which proved to be fatal for us. If the Congress goes for early elections the TDP would benefit from it,” opined another leader. But, some TDP leaders feel that early elections while in power or in Opposition would prove fatal for TDP.