Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, while giving the reply to the debate on no-confidence motion against his government in the assembly on Friday, made a comment saying he would have been happy had his “walking friend” (read: Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu) also attended the assembly session.

Whether he said it deliberately or sarcastically, but the no-confidence motion episode has clearly proved that Naidu has indeed proved a “friend in need.” Many political observers have felt that the Kiran Kumar Reddy government might have technically won the no-trust motion, but things would have been different had the TDP also supported the motion.

“It is pretty evident that the Congress government had won only because of the disunity among the opposition parties, particularly the adamant stand taken by the TDP president. The MIM, too, played its part in protecting the Congress government by abstaining from voting on the silly pretext that the TRS and BJP were the signatories to it,” an observer said.

Had Naidu supported the no-confidence motion, it would have kept the Kiran government on tenterhooks, as some more Congress MLAs who had an underhand dealing with YSR Congress could have quietly voted in favour of the motion and Kiran government would have collapsed. Perhaps, the TDP thought it would be better to save the Kiran government for the time being, rather than handing the advantage over to Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on a platter. And that might ultimately prove costlier for Naidu!