Hyderabad, Nov 25: The ruling TDP's gambit of making Naxalism the main poll plank has drawn flak from opposition parties and civil rights leaders who warned that such a course was fraught with `dangerous consequences leading to an unending spiral of violence'. By seeking a fresh mandate from people on the issue of extremist violence, the TDP leadership was not only exposing its cadre to increased Naxal attacks but also indirectly admitting its failure to tackle the menace, the opposition leaders contended.
"It is totally unconvincing to seek early assembly elections on an issue that has been raging for over three decades. The TDP's attempt to paint Naxalites and the opposition parties with the same brush reflects its political bankruptcy," the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader in the dissolved assembly Y S Rajasekhar Reddy said.
The left parties have also ridiculed the ruling party's poll plank, saying it was setting a `dangerous precedent' by equating the opposition parties with extremists.
"They (TDP) had the public mandate to rule the state for five years. Who had stopped them from finding a negotiated settlement to the vexed Naxal issue," the state CPI (M) secretary B V Raghavulu told reporters.
Bureau Report