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Naidu sore as BJP ignores TDP demands

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

The simmering differences between the Telugu Desam Party and its ally -- the Bharatiya Janata Party -- have come to the fore on the eve of the winter session of Parliament.

Though on many issues and bills, the TDP will sail with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president Nara Chandrababu Naidu has given enough indications in the last three days that he would pursue certain matters which are important to his party and the state, notwithstanding the BJP stance on these issues.

In fact, Chandrababu Naidu spelt out his party's agenda for the winter session of Parliament, which begins today, during two party meetings at the weekend. He gave vent to his ire at the BJP government for ignoring the demands put forth by the TDP from time to time.

Chandrababu Naidu had set the ball rolling last Wednesday when he deputed Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party leader and former Union minister K Yerran Naidu to an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Yerran Naidu has expressed anguish over the indifferent attitude of the Central government towards the 24 issues highlighted by the chief minister. He sought prompt response of the central government with regard to key issues.

Firstly, the TDP is sore over the Vajpayee government's apathy towards the state's demand for central assistance for drought and cyclone relief. The state government has declared 501 mandals in 14 districts as drought-hit and sought a central assistance of Rs 7.2 billion. The state has demanded an immediate assistance of Rs 2 billion. The state has pointed out that the overall loss to crops due to drought has been assessed at Rs 25.67 billion.

A Central team visited the state from October 1 to 4 and held discussions with state officials and the chief minister. The team also submitted its report to the Central government. However, no assistance has been forthcoming despite the fact that Union Minister of State for Agriculture S B P B K Satyanarayana Rao is the BJP MP from Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh.

The state government has also sought an assistance of Rs 400 million from the Central government for relief and restoration works in Srikakulam district, which was ravaged by a cyclonic storm in October 1999 that caused an estimated loss of Rs 23.77 billion.

"We are extremely unhappy over the Central government's lack of response. We are going to register our protest by taking up the issue in the Parliament session," said C Ramachandraiah, TDPP spokesman and TDP general secretary.

The TDP has identified a host of issues which it would like to highlight in the session. The party will press for a constitutional amendment for higher devolution of central taxes to the states. While reiterating the party's demand for increasing the share of states in central taxes to 50 per cent, the TDP wants the BJP government to implement immediately the previous United Front government's decision to hike the share to 29 per cent from the present 27 per cent. The two per cent hike will fetch an additional Rs 6 billion a year.

Chandrababu Naidu is vexed with the Central government's indifference to the TDP demand for the abolition of centrally sponsored schemes and transferring the money earmarked for these schemes to the states to take up their own schemes reflecting local needs, priorities and problems.

The TDP seeks to highlight the additional burden imposed by the Central government on the states through pay revision and by effecting hikes in the administered prices. The pay revision of the state government employees, consequent to the pay revision of Central government employees, has resulted in an additional burden of Rs 16 billion per annum on the state exchequer.

The TDP chief has taken serious exception to the BJP government's move to take away the states' powers by including more state subjects in the concurrent list of the Constitution, even as the states persistently sought transfer of more subjects from the Union and concurrent lists to the states' list. "We are opposed to the Central government's move to include tourism, which is a state subject, in the concurrent list. Inclusion in the concurrent list will only delay the implementation of tourism projects," he said.

As for the contentious issue of smaller states, the TDP is opposed to the concept. Consequently, the party will oppose the bills for the formation of Uttaranchal and Vananchal states. "We will oppose the bills on the two states since the creation of smaller states is against our policy," Ramachandraiah said.

On the Women's Reservation bill, providing one-third reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures, the TDP is not likely to support the bill in its present form. The party is now ready to examine the demand for inclusion of quotas for other backward castes within the ear-marked one-third reservation for women.

The TDP's support to the NDA government on other key issues such as Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and World Trade Organisation is expected to be conditional. "The party will never compromise on the national and financial sovereignty of the country," said Ramachandraiah. The party has deputed TDPP leader K Yerran Naidu as its representative in the Indian delegation to the WTO ministerial conference at Seattle (United States) beginning tomorrow.

The TDP MPs have been asked to highlight prominently the state issues in Parliament, including the demand for early clearance of projects awaiting the Central government's nod, implementation of packages for the immediate revival of sick Central public sector undertakings such as Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Indian Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Limited, Hindustan Machine Tools and Praga Tools Limited.

On the positive side, the TDP has decided to support the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority bill, Foreign Exchange Management bill, Lok Pal bill, Central Vigilance Commission bill, Information Technology bill, Patents amendment bill and Essential Commodities amendment bill.

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