There seems to be no end to the flip-flops by the Telugu Desam party chief N Chandrababu Naidu on the Telangana issue.
His latest statement that he wants to become the chief minister of the entire Andhra Pradesh state exposes his inconsistency once again.
Speaking in his home district of Chittoor, Naidu said, "AP is the largest state in Southern India. I want to become as CM for whole Andhra Pradesh.”
Does he still believe that AP would remain as one entity till the next elections in 2014?
According to buzz in TDP circles, Naidu is confident that the state would remain united till the next general elections and the polls will be held for the integrated state.
In such a scenario, he feels that he has bright chance of coming to power.
If the state is divided, the TDP chief may not be interested in contesting for Assembly elections but would eye an MP seat, while leaving the field in Seemandhra to his brother-in-law and Telugu hero Nandamuri Balakrishna and Telangana to his son Nara Lokesh.
He hopes to play a key role in national politics post-2014 polls.
It is amusing how Naidu can change his public stance so many times with such an ease. These days, Naidu has been highlighting how the bifurcation will damage the state and cause a rift among the Telugu people. He is even warning the UPA government that a catastrophe will befall the state if it went ahead with splitting.
It is surprising that he has conveniently forgotten about the two consent letters he had given to the Centre in 2008 and again in 2013, pledging his party's commitment to the formation of Telangana state.
Was he not aware of the consequences of the division then? Just like how CWC is the highest policy making body of the Congress, the Politburo is the highest policy making body of the TDP. And, TDP's politburo had decided in favour of Telangana as far back as 2008 while the CWC took the same decision in July, 2013.
The TDP had included the Telangana promise in its 2009 manifesto in which it assured that, if voted to power, the party would initiate all the necessary "legal and constitutional measures" to carve out Telangana state.
What measures and strategies did he have in mind then?
Five years later, Naidu is now saying that splitting the state would be disastrous and that the concerns and grievances of Seemandhra people should be taken into consideration. Was he ignorant about the political fallout then? Moreover, the TDP had even passed a pro-Telangana resolution at Mahanadu, the general body meeting of the party.
