Verdict short of expectations: CM

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JULY 18. Recovering its wits after the immediate shock of the setback in the just-concluded elections to the local bodies, the Telugu Desam has maintained that the verdict represented ``a clear mandate,'' albeit short of its own expectations.

``Fact is fact. We have won 515 ZPTCs against 445 by the Congress and so on. Overall, we have fared better than anyone else. How can it be a defeat for us?'' the party president and Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, asserted at a news conference here on Wednesday.

Mr. Naidu, however, acknowledged that the party had not lived up to its own expectations and would soon ponder seriously the reasons for the underperformance. He sought to underscore that he or the party remained unfazed by the verdict since it was not uncommon for expectations to go awry in elections. The TDP had tasted it before. It was defeated in the 1989 general election, but swept the polls in 1994. It did not fare too well in the 1998 Lok Sabha polls, but won a handsome mandate in the Assembly and parliamentary elections the following year. This was possible by identifying shortcomings and taking remedial measures.

Even while saying that the party would analyse the factors responsible, including power reforms, he indicated there might not be any basic change in the reforms and other policies, but possibly reshaping and repackaging the programmes to make them more acceptable.

Mr. Naidu did not appear to be too comfortable fielding persistent and pointed queries at the press meet and stood up to signify termination of the interaction, something which the normally media-savvy Chief Minister rarely did.

He was put off by queries about the Telugu Desam reportedly indulging in `horse-trading' in places where the party and the Congress were `tied' as in Ranga Reddy district. Vehemently denying the charge, he blamed the Opposition for raising such a bogey. Did he share the view that if the Telangana Rashtra Samiti were not in the fray the Telugu Desam would have suffered heavier losses and the Congress improved its tally significantly? ``That may be the view of the Congress, not mine,'' he said.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu parried questions whether he would reshuffle the Cabinet as the party did not fare too well in the areas represented by senior Ministers. He did not want to apportion blame on his colleagues, and quipped it was routine for the media to make such speculations.

He denied it was an anti-establishment vote. It was easy for the Opposition to mislead people and promise them the moon like free power, jobs and irrigation facilities all over the State, but a responsible party in power would have to see whether its promises could be implemented.

The Chief Minister rejected the view that the hike in power tariff was a major factor or `mistake,' saying the verdict varied from place to place. He refused to list the mistakes or reasons for the party's performance. He refused to react to State BJP president C. Ramachandra Reddy's reported statement blaming the TDP for the electoral setback.

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Section  : Southern States
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