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The Telugu Desam Party on Tuesday iterated support to the National Democratic Alliance government, but cautioned that there would be no compromise on the party's commitment to the ideal of secularism and more autonomy for states.
"We are supporting the NDA government as we do not want political instability in the country. We do not want to destabilise the (NDA) government," Telugu Desam president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu pointed out, while winding up a debate on the political resolution on the concluding day of the Mahanadu (biennial convention) here.
He, however, made it clear that the Telugu Desam's support from outside to the NDA coalition cannot be taken for granted. The party's continued support to the Vajpayee government does not mean that it would allow the Bharatiya Janata Party to raise contentious issues or to deviate from the national agenda of governance. "There cannot be any compromise on secularism. We are firmly for a secular polity in the country. Our commitment to secularism remains undiluted", he declared.
He hinted that the Telugu Desam always had an option to withdraw support to the NDA coalition. "People ask us why we do not withdraw support to NDA if our demands are not fulfilled. I tell them we are supporting the NDA to ensure a stable government. We will continue to exert pressure and continue our uncompromising fight for more powers to the states", he pointed out.
At the same time, he chose to reassure support of the Telugu Desam to the NDA coalition against the backdrop of recent political developments in the country, including the Tehelka episode, assembly elections in five states, the convulsions in the NDA and within the BJP, among other things.
His party, with 29 members in the Lok Sabha, holds the key to survival of the Vajpayee government and this was emphasised subtly by him.
Naidu maintained tough posturing on the demand for more fiscal powers to the state and pointed out that the party would exert pressure on the Centre to concede its long-standing plea for more powers to states. He reminded the "rulers in Delhi" that the days of single-party rule had come to an end for good and that coalition rule was here to stay.
A champion of regional parties, the Telugu Desam supremo forecast a key role for regional parties in national politics, especially since so-called national parties were getting increasing confined to some regions. The "Delhi rulers" should realise this fact, he suggested, while speaking on the resolution on "Centre-state relations."
He questioned the rationale of the Centre in formulating policies and programmes for the states and implementing them by going straight to villages, bypassing state governments.
"When we are not able to effectively run the administration of 23 districts in the state, how can the Centre run more than 600 districts all over the country," he wondered.
He took serious exception to the continued encroachment of the states' powers by the Centre and complained that more subjects from the state and concurrent lists were being shifted to the central list. "This trend must come to an end immediately," he demanded.
He also sought expeditious rationalisation of revenue-sharing arrangement between the Centre and states and expressed anguish that even on "innocuous matters" the states were being made to look up to Delhi.
"To get international flights to Hyderabad, we had to make representations to Delhi scores of times," he cited as an example.
He lashed out at the Centre for eating into the resources of the state by mooting a collection of service tax, among other things. The way the services sector was expanding, service tax collections would surpass income tax, he said, and termed the proposal as outrageous and unacceptable.
He asked the Centre to give up such moves. "The Centre has no business to collect service tax when it is the states which are providing all facilities to the services sector," he pointed out.
Echoing the views of Telugu Desam founder-patriarch, the late N T Rama Rao, who redefined Centre-state relations, Naidu said that states should be given full freedom for formulating, prioritising and implementing schemes in accordance with local needs. The states should also have direct access to loans from foreign agencies, he felt.
He demanded that the Centre should restrict its role to defence, foreign affairs and communications.
Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party leader K Yerran Naidu moved a political resolution, while party member of Parliament C Ramachandraiah introduced the resolution on Centre-state relations.
Yerran Naidu lashed out at the Congress and other opposition parties for creating hurdles in the functioning of Parliament on issues like Ayodhya and Tehelka during the recent Budget session.
EARLIER REPORTOnly TDP can help Telangana: Chandrababu
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