Grand alliance in Andhra Pradesh in tatters

The grandiose plans of the opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh to form a 'grand alliance' to ensure the defeat of ruling Congress party were lying in tatters as the recently established relations between the main opposition Telugu Desam Party and powerful regional party Telangana Rashtra Samiti reaching a breaking point on the issue of seat sharing.

The brewing trouble in the nascent formation comprising of TDP, TRS, CPI and CPI-M came to the fore on Thursday with the TRS staying away from the coordination committee meeting amid the reports that TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao was unhappy with the adamant and big-brotherly attitude of the TDP president Chandrababu Naidu.

Even as the Left parties were trying to mediate and find a way out, Chandrasekhara Rao went to media on Thursday evening declaring that nothing less than 10 Lok Sabha and 50 assembly seats were acceptable to his party.

"We are in a position to win 45 assembly and 7 Lok Sabha seats," he said. He took strong objection to the statements of the TDP leaders that they were not willing to give more than certain seats.

"We are not the takers. We are the givers," Rao said.

N Narasimha Reddy, another senior TRS leader, alleged that the TDP was trying to insult the TRS by talking in terms of giving the seats. "This is not the way to form and run an alliance," he said.

Originally, TRS was to formally announce joining the Grand Alliance on Wednesday itself but due to the persisting differences on seat sharing he delayed it. With the tension mounting now, KCR said that his party was even willing to fight the elections alone, rather than accepting less number of seats. He demanded the TDP leaders to clarify their position on the issue.

TDP and TRS, bitter enemies for the last seven years came together recently after TDP revised its anti-Telangana state stand and announced its support to the formation of a smaller state. They agreed to form a grand alliance to ensure the defeat of Congress party.

This development had rattled the ruling Congress party and a section of party leaders, especially from Telangana region, had rushed to New Delhi to pressurize the high command to adopt a clear pro Telangana stand. But Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy persuaded the central leadership against any knee jerk reaction.

The Telangana group in Congress had warned that if the party remains silent on Telangana state issue, the grand alliance will sweep the election and Congress will be routed in the polls.

Adopting an uncompromising stand, the Chief Minister Reddy told media persons in Hyderabad that there was no question of moving a resolution for Telangana in the state assembly in the coming budget session.