Two main left parties in Andhra Pradesh — CPI and the CPI(M) appear to be on horns of dilemma as to which party they should align with. While the CPI is already inching towards an understanding with the Congress party in Telangana region and is also trying to bring the Telangana Rashtra Samiti on board, the CPI(M) was unwilling to join hands with the Congress and expressed its preference for the TRS.
The TRS on its part was playing a hard ball with the CPI. State CPI secretary K Narayana, who was talking to both the Congress and the TRS leadership for a grand alliance, said, “We did not expect TRS leadership to behave like this. KCR failed to respond to the call given by (CPI general secretary) S Sudhakar Reddy for an alliance”. While spurning the Congress party TRS was willing to have a limited understanding with the TRS. Two senior TRS leaders K Keshav Rao and G Vinod Kumar held discussions with Narayana. But the latter separately met the Telangana State Congress president Ponnala lakshmaiah on seat-sharing in an attempt to bridge the gap between the two parties.
While the CPI was demanding three lok Sabha and 22 Assembly seats in Telangana, Congress was willing to give only one lok Sabha and 12 Assembly seats. Narayana said that his party prefers a scenario in which the TRS, Congress and CPI should be part of a single alliance to ensure Telangana gets a good and development oriented Government. But going by the indications, TRS does not appear to be keen to have any such alliance as it was confident that it can sweep the elections in Telangana region.
Narayana was unhappy with the “arrogance” of TRS leadership. “They don’t even have time to return the phones calls”, he said The CPI(M) on the other hand said that it was willing to work only with the anti-Congress and anti-BJP parties and was open for understanding with the TRS. CPI(M) Telangana State secretary T Veerabhadram informed that the CPI should desist from joining hands with Congress. “If CPI goes with Congress then the chances of the two left parties working together were dim”, he said.
“The new Telangana State will face many problems and challenges. The people are looking forward to social justice development and harmony with the other State”, he said. Veerabhadram said that the CPI(M) would like to contest the four lok Sabha and 17 Assembly seats in Telangana. Traditionally the left parties were strong in Khammam and Nalgonda districts of Telangana but they could not win a single lok Sabha seats in the last elections from Andhra Pradesh. Their numbers in the State Assembly have also dwindled over the years. In the last Assembly the CPI had only four and CPI(M) had only one member.
Meanwhile Congress party was planning to woo the people of Telangana with the help of party President Sonia Gandhi by projecting her as the “real architect of Telagnana state”. Former state Congress president D Srinivas, after meeting Sonia Gandhi, told the reporters that she will be addressing four rallies in Telangana region during the election campaign. The party was also trying to en cash the promise of empowering the weaker sections in Telangana region. It was planning to give tickets to the family members of those who had committed suicide for Telangana state.
It has infact become a major bone of contention between the Congress and the TRS. While TPCC President Ponnala lakshmaiah taunted TRS for “insulting” the families of Telangana Martyrs, TRS leader and former Congress MP Manda Jagannatham said, “Congress leaders have no right to talk about the Telangana Martyrs”.