TDP’s Political Document: Honest Analysis Or A Pack Of Lies?

By Kommineni Srinivasa Rao

The political resolution passed at the end of the three-day Telugu Desam party Mahanadu is a classic example of how to falsify and distort history. This is a text book case of how to draft a resolution without worrying about facts.

The TDP political resolution is a perfect case of self-praise and a wanton vilification of political rivals. It is as though the TDP brains have perfected the art of hurling invectives on others. Consider this, the document says Telugu people were awakened only after the advent of Telugu Desam. Does this mean that the Telugu's had no political awareness before the TDP? In fact, Chandrababu's political debut was in 1978, which is a good five years before TDP's advent. Does this mean that the people voted for Chandrababu out of ignorance in 1978? Also, when the NTR tsunami swept AP polls, Chandrababu remained in the Congress and eventually lost at the hustings. Does this mean that Chandrababu wasn't sufficiently awakened? He began taking control of the party only after he left Congress and joined the TDP.

Then the document speaks of the 1984 Congress machinations to depose NTR. It says Congress engineered defections and tried to weaken the TDP. Then, as per the document, Chandrababu played a key role in mobilising the support of non-Congress political parties. Quite intriguingly, after 1984, the document jumps to 2014. What about the 1989 defeat? How did NTR come back to power in 1994? And how did Chandrababu back-stab NTR in the famous Viceroy Hotel episode and unseat the latter to become the CM? Why are all these omitted?

The document says that in 2014, the Congress had agreed for a wholly unjust division of the state conveniently forgetting that the TDP too had rooted for the division of the state. The document glibly says that, the TDP talks politics only during the elections, while the Congress does politics always.

If this is the case, why did the TDP engineer defections from the YSRCP even after having a comfortable majority post 2014 elections? What is it if not a blatant attempt to weaken the Opposition? The document talks of disposing of cases of corruption against the politicians, but delays cases against Chandrababu by repeatedly getting stays. The buzz in the political circles is that no one manages ''people'' like Chandrababu.

On the issue of special status however, the TDP, which criticised the Congress MPs for being ineffectual in pressurising the Centre to accord special state status, now conveniently forgets it. It is, however, honest in admitting that the TDP had agreed for a special package in lieu of special state status.

On the social media repression too, the TDP selectively talks about the social media attacks on it, but tries to sweep under the carpet its oppression of the social media activists. The document tamely says that TDP is a party of the Telugus because Telugu is part of its name. It is important for the TDP bosses to understand that democracy is all about highlighting the ruling party's acts of commissions and omissions. Politics is about point and counter point. It is not just self-praise and deprecation of the rivals.

If the party does not analyse things honestly and stop distorting facts, it will end up being rejected by the people. So long as these falsifications stay, the political document is no more than a pack of lies.