Telugu Desam Party leader Chandrababu Naidu wasn’t letting on much when he answered media queries in New Delhi about whether he was ready to team up with a BJP led by Narendra Modi, but his discreet ambivalence appeared more eloquent than words.
The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister has enjoyed the reputation of being savvy, meaning politically unhurried and ruthless. He was firmly in the Left-propelled “secular” camp when the United Front was in power at the Centre, and naturally drew gasps by calmly walking over to the BJP-led NDA under Vajpayee one day.
Loss of power in his state made the TDP leader see the light as he trudged back to the secular road, thinking he had forfeited the support of the minorities by hobnobbing with the BJP. Is the clever Mr Naidu about to spring another surprise?
Perhaps it is early to call. But the TDP chief noted on television on Saturday after meeting BJP president Rajnath Singh that his principal fight in Andhra Pradesh was with the Congress. Senior BJP leaders have been saying that if the BJP’s Lok Sabha score card is decent enough, “secular” regional parties would cross over to Mr Modi in a coalition embrace as their main fight is with the Congress.
Speculation about the YSR Congress eventually choosing a coalition deal with the Congress at the Centre can also be a factor for Mr Naidu. With his across-the-spectrum networking, the TDP chief can become a “secular” coordinator, magnet and cat’s paw for the BJP.