TDP's Dusshera shift: A pro-Telangana stance

The Telugu Desam party, which has all along been a strong advocate of a united Andhra Pradesh and vociferously opposed the demand for bifurcation of state, is about to bring about a historic change in its policy
 
The party leadership is all set to announce a new pro-Telangana stand on Thursday as a Dussehra gift to the people of Telangana by extending its support to the six-decade-old demand for a seperate Telangana state.
 
A senior member of the TDP Politburo told the rediff on Wednesday that after two day of deliberations, the party leadership has reached a final decision. "We are in the process of preparing a detailed resolution which will explain the reasons for party changing its position on a crucial issue," he said.
 
The 15-member politburo which discussed the issue of bifurcation of the state will meet again on Thursday to give finishing touches to the resolution, sources said.
 
"We want the resolution to be convincing enough for the people of the other two regions coastal Andhra and Rayalseema as to why the TDP is taking the new stand of supporting the demand for Telangana," the senior leader said.
 
Earlier the TDP Parliamentary party leader K Yerran Naidu and official spokesperson R Chandrasekhara Reddy told media-persons that the discussion on the Telangana issue remained inconclusive on the second day. "The politburo has been convened again on Thursday and the discussions will continue," Reddy said.
 
"The issue of bifurcating the state and formation of a new state is very crucial and important issue. We are discussing it threadbare," Yerran Naidu said.
 
The politburo is discussing the report of a five member core committee constituted by the TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu about six months ago to elicit the opinion of the party leaders from all over the state on Telangana issue.
 
After the six-month long exercise the committee has submitted its report to the party president. According to sources the committee has recommended that the TDP should adopt a pro-Telangana stand respecting the strong feelings of the people of the region. The committee has also reported that the party leaders from the other two regions were not opposed to the TDP taking such a stand.
 
The pro-Telangana stand by the TDP is expected to have a dramatic impact on the political landscape on Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP will be the first major political party in Andhra Pradesh to take a clear stand in support of Telangana. While the ruling Congress has been making noises in support of Telangana it is yet to announce its clear cut stand whether it favors Telangana state or not. Similarly newly formed Praja Rajyam Party of film star Chiranjeevi has not taken any clear stand so far. The BJP has also taken a pro-Telangana stand but it reduced to a pale shadow of itself in the region.
 
Secondly a clear pro-Telangana stand of the TDP will pave the way for its alliance with the Telangna Rashtra Samiti of K Chandrasekhara Rao. Both TDP and TRS are also in talks with the Communist Party of India-Marxist for a grand alliance against the Congress party.