Babli turns non-issue for bypolls

The Babli and 13 other irrigation projects which the Telugu Desam is protesting against, were non -issues in the just-concluded by-polls in Telangana. Interestingly, neither Telugu Desam, nor the other parties including the Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samiti and BJP, made it a poll plank but focused mainly on Telangana and development.

In fact, the Telugu Desam leadership left the candidates and local leaders to fend for themselves in the bypolls and TD president Mr Chandrababu Naidu, who did not campaign, admitted that he had ignored the polls and had focused on Babli due to a “technical lapse”.

Asked whether it was right on the part of the of the party leadership to ignore those in the electoral fray and the reason for TD not using Babli as a poll plank, Mr Naidu said they genuinely felt that Babli was important. “We did not take the elections seriously. Elections come and go. Last time we contested 56 and won 39. Our focus was on Babli and other illegal projects since they will affect generations to come. Our concern was the interest of the state,” he said, adding, “However, we could have also focussed on the polls after we decided to contest. It was a lapse.”

About the number of seats he expected to win, Mr Naidu avoided the issue saying that he did not concentrate on polls. In another development, Mr Naidu has demanded that the Central and state governments ban the export of iron ore and other minerals to check the mining mafia. As an alternative, he suggested that the government should increase the excise and VAT by 400 or 1000 per cent so that mining lease holders ensure its availability for captive mining. This would also ensure more revenue to the state exchequer, he said.

The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, took a similar decision in the wake of trouble from the Gali brothers, he pointed out.