Hyderabad, December 16: Telugu Desam and Telangana Rashtra Samiti are gearing up for two politically significant events here and at Warangal respectively tomorrow.
While TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu is all set to sit on his maiden indefinite fast here, “if the government fails to announce in the Assembly a satisfactory relief package” for rain-hit farmers, the TRS is holding a huge rally in Warangal to commemorate the anniversary of the Centre’s announcement initiating the process for separate Telangana and going back on it.
Though the causes for which the two parties are fighting are different, their leaders have begun accusing each other of oneupmanship. And if one takes into account the whirlwind tour of former Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy in coastal Andhra, again for the cause of farmers and widespread speculation over MLAs switching sides, political temperature appears to have suddenly shot up across the State.
Mr. Naidu advanced his fast by a day from December 17 to December 16 and made it conditional linking it to government’s announcement. A team of senior leaders has already shortlisted the venues — Indira Park, NTR Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s statue on Assembly premises, Tank Bund road and Ambedkar statue.
But on Tuesday, he was still in the process of weighing the pros and cons of going ahead. For one thing, the advance announcement alerted the government to rework its strategy in the Assembly and do homework on conceding at least some of his 23 demands. It is also contemplating offering input subsidy of Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 4,000 an acre like in Tamil Nadu and give a firm commitment on purchase of discoloured paddy, to blunt the criticism of Mr. Naidu and Mr. Jagan.
Murmurs:
TDP leaders said the party was wary of such an announcement and hence wanted to keep option of the fast by Mr. Naidu open. The party was also conscious of the murmurs of the protest from a section of Telangana MLAs who want it to be deferred as it was clashing with TRS rally in Warangal. In the Assembly lobbies, a furious TRS MLA T. Harish Rao made no secret of Mr. Naidu’s plan to hog limelight and thereby deny TRS space in media coverage.
–Agencies