Fact Sheet: TD-CPI joins hands to defeat TRS!

Politics makes strange bed fellows. The Communist Party of India, which is appearing to be keeping the Telugu Desam at bay in its land struggles, has entered into an alliance with the same TD in the prestigious elections to Singareni Collieries recognised union, scheduled to be held on August 9.

The CPI-affiliated AITUC entered into a last minute understanding with the Telugu Desam's trade union outfit TNTUC to fight unitedly in the Singareni polls in 10 out of 11 divisions in the coal belt spread across Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts. The elections are said to be crucial, as they will reflect the people's mood in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The common agenda of the trade unions affiliated to the TD and CPI is simple: to defeat the Telangana Boggugani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), affiliated to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. The Desam is worried that if the TRS-backed union wins the elections, it would be the end of road for it in the 2009 Assembly elections. Moreover, the prospects of the TNTUC are very bad in the Singareni polls and therefore, it took the unexpected decision of supporting to AITUC to save their face.