The Left attempt to rally all Opposition parties on one platform to focus attention on urgent issues like power and other matters and to mobilise a united front against the Congress government, fell flat on Friday.
The YSR Congress found itself isolated with the indifferent response to its bandh call.
The lukewarm response from the public to the YSRC’s bandh call has put CPM, CPI and TD in a bind, forcing them to thi-nk twice on their plans to call a united bandh in the first week of September.
It now appears that hop-es of a combined Opposit-ion (comprising TD, CPI, CPM, YSRC, BJP, TRS and Lok Satta) protesting the power crisis are remote, given the strong differences between the parties.
The TD and the YSRC are at each other’s throats, besides which there are many contentious issues between the TD, TRS, BJP, CPM, CPI and other parties on subjects like Tela-ngana, and other matters.
Despite all this, due to CPM leader B.V. Raghavulu's efforts, the CPI agreed to join hands with them over the power problem and planned to rope in other parties.
Though the CPM is at odds with the TD over the police firing on power agitators during the TD’s rule, the party still extended an olive branch to TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu.
“We have requested the TD to join hands with us against the government on the power issue. Mr Naidu promised to discuss the same with party leaders and get back to us,” CPM leader Y. Venkateshwara Rao said.
CPM hasn’t given up hope after YSRC ditched them, they plan to go ahead with mobilising other parties, it is learnt.
Not everyone is optimistic. A TD MLA said he's doubtful whether the Left's attempt to bring together all Opposition parties will be fruitful.
Even YSRC leaders are sceptical, as the party has been at the receiving end of potshots from the TD since its inception. Joining hands now would send a wrong message to its cadre, they feel.