Its' Opposition vs Opposition in Assembly

HYDERABAD: Chandrababu Naidu's decision not to back the TRS' no-confidence motion against the Kiran Kumar Reddy government has once again brought to the fore all the peculiarities of the current political situation in Andhra Pradesh.

A day after the TDP's decision, opposition parties were at each other's throats even as the chief minister laughed his way to the Assembly for Day One of the budget session.

At the end of the day, after slam-bang press conferences by leaders of the TDP, TRS and YSR Congress, the one question for which there was no answer was: who is colluding with whom?

Naidu said he did not back the no-confidence move because it was moved by a 'toka' party (meaning TRS) whose leader is trying to extract a package from the Congress.

The Pink Panther hit back, saying it was Naidu who struck a deal with the Congress and was, therefore, not willing to pull down the government. For the YSR Congress too, Naidu's move came in handy to harp on its old theme: the Naidu is the Kiran government's prop.

Last year, Naidu, in the face of similar nagging by YSR Congress, did press for a no-confidence vote in the Assembly. Then, the Jagan group had been claiming the support of more than 50 Congress MLAs but when it came to the crunch, only 17 voted against the government.

That vote helped both Congress and YSRC: the government survived and victory in the ensuing byelections caused by the disqualification of the rebels boosted the morale of Jagan's party.

The TDP ended up the loser as the massive defeat in the bypolls dented its confidence. Was it a similar fear that held back Naidu this time, notwithstanding the fact that the numbers are dicier for Kiran Reddy now than in 2012?

Despite his padayatra of more than 2,000 km, is Naidu still short of the confidence to pull the plug on the ruling party? Or is he gambling on the possibility that a year from now, the sentiment-fuelled TRS as well as jailed Jagan will wane and let the tide turn in favour of the TDP?

All through, TDP leaders tried to justify their stand during private chats with mediapersons in the Assembly lobbies but it was a feeble effort. 'Why should we respond if KCR sends a letter through an attender seeking our support for a no-confidence motion?' asked senior legislator Payyavula Keshav.

The TRS retorted: 'Will Naidu back the motion if it is sent through our legislature party leader? And why can't the TDP move a separate motion of its own?'

In the end, there was clarity on only one aspect: no party wants an election now and everyone in the game knows this government will survive.

At best, a few more byelections, if the likes of Perni Nani and Alla Nani (both of the Congress) vote against the government. When Naidu moved the motion in 2012, they were among those who voted for the government!