TD, PR try hard to woo BSP

By J.R.PRASAD

Hyderabad Jan. 11: Even before the election campaign has begun, the Telugu Desam and the Praja Rajyam have intensified their efforts to attract allies to their side. After the Left parties and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the Bahujan Samaj Party is the most sought after party for the Telugu Desam and the PR to improve their prospects of winning the general elections. The PR chief, Chiranjeevi, on Sunday said his party was ready to ally with the BSP for the general elections. Interestingly, the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, had spoken to Mayawati on Sunday over phone. According to the PR leaders, after his unsuccessful attempts to persuade the TRS for a pre-poll alliance, the PR chief has intensified efforts to forge an alliance with the BSP which is identified with the dalits and downtrodden classes.

“If we can clinch an alliance with the BSP, our Backward Classes slogan would get a boost and the PR’s winning prospects will be enhanced further,” said a close aide of Chiranjeevi. However, party insiders doubted the possibility of an alliance with the BSP as Chiranjeevi already turned down a request from the BSP chief Mayawati much before the PR was launched. There are rumours that the PR top brass, which is apparently maintaining a secret alliance with the BJP is now trying to attract the BSP to its side to create a favourable ground for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance to come to power after the elections.

On the other hand, the TD is also trying to get the BSP to field its candidates in every Assembly constituency in the coming polls to eat into the traditional Congress vote bank. When reminded about Chiranjeevi’s intention to join hands with the BSP, the TD senior leader and the MLC, Mr D. Veerabhadra Rao took it lightly. “The PR leadership tried to forge an alliance with the Left parties and the TRS. That had failed. The TD succeeded in setting up a grand alliance with those parties. We are sure that the same will happen at the national level,” he said. He also disclosed that the TD president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu is in touch with the BSP chief over alliances. Meanwhile, the four-day tour of Chiranjeevi in Prakasam district concluded at Parchur.