This cannot be ignored as the party's internal affair. His compulsions are clear. He had hardly any alternative to the alliance, call it by any other name. The traditional constituency of the TDP stands trifurcated with the TDP (NTR) of Lakshmi Parvathi and the Anna TDP of Harikrishna ranged against it. He has lost his long-time Left allies and it is small comfort that the CPI and the CPI(M) here cannot agree on the right attitude to the state Congress.

He has not concealed his concern over the prospect of losingMuslim votes as well. The alliance, however, can hardly be an answer if it is so half-hearted. It is all right his saying that it is intended only to defeat the Congress and serve the objective of stability at the Centre. But what about the host of other issues on which the voter has the right to know the shared views of the TDP and the BJP?

The question is addressed to the BJP as well. Not at the state level alone, or not only because it had once come out with a chargesheet against Naidu. But, at the national level, in particular, in view of what the party has been saying about the preferability of pre-poll pacts on issues in order to ensure post-poll performance and stability at the Centre. This was what was claimed to distinguish the coalition headed by it. Jayalalitha and the AIADMK may have rendered that abortive.

But that is no excuse for abandoning the effort now. Seat-sharing on the Andhra pattern without a semblance of an issue-based alliance cannot help the objective of stability.

But then`yes and no' has been Naidu's stock answer for quite some time now. Almost to every question concerning relations with the BJP ever since it came to power at the head of a coalition at the Centre. More precisely, from the moment the TDP leader walked out of the United Front, over whose liquidation he had been presiding during the UF's turbulent days in power in New Delhi. His first attempt then was to prove that this had nothing to do with the political change at the national level.

Followed the claim of `equidistance' between the BJP and the Congress and a resolve to stick to this tightrope-walking stance. The Chief Minister kept the country in agonising suspense till the last minute as the Atal Behari Vajpayee government awaited the fate of its first trust vote in the Lok Sabha. Finally, and after seeing through its nominee as the Speaker, the TDP cast its votes, but not its political lot, with the government. While backing the BJP-led regime from the outside, Naidu has been at pains to illustrate hisindependence periodically with strident criticism of the Centre on select issues like attacks on the minorities. The TDP chief is trying the same tack on electoral tactics too.