Swati Deb
Talking about Andhra Pradesh politics, the first thing to note is that the process of bifurcation of the state was badly executed by the Congress. The bloods shed have dried; but tears have not and some would say paradoxically that Andhra Pradesh has been a political lab for quite some time now.
N Chandrababu Naidu has been the chief protagonist, but his problems have been that much of it focused on power lobbying. But his opportunism and sheer family-centric approach was generally made out to be pragmatic politics. There was an element of selfishness and governance got neglected. Thus, electorally he was routed both in the state polls and also parliamentary polls.
The Lok Sabha mandate in the Deccan state made it clear that it was end of the road for a PM-aspirant – Naidu – who ironically had declined the offer in 1996 knowing pretty well that such an arrangement would have been a ‘temporary’ affair.
But his troubles are far from over. On June 20, 2019 - the politics seem to have come full circle for Chandrababu Naidu. Away in London on holidays, Naidu got a major jolt as four of his MPs in the Rajya Sabha including onetime trusted aide YS Chowdary quit his outfit and joined the BJP. Ironically, Chowdary even admits that Naidu has been his political guru.
Way back in 2016, Mr Naidu had started playing double games with BJP trying to put pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shift the ‘responsibility’ of his governance failure on Andhra Pradesh.
He kept on demanding Special Category Status provoking the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley repeatedly write blogs or make statement in Parliament that – “we are doing everything possible under the rule book to help the state of Andhra Pradesh”.
E. Sujata, a district president of TDP Vishakhapatnam unit, told this writer at Tirupati in May 2016 - “It is high time we get the Special Category Status as was promised during the division of the state. We are with the TDP supremo and the BJP-led Narendra Modi government should deliver”.
Demands kept on increasing. Other TDP workers insisted for a railway zonal headquarters at Visakhapatnam.
Of course, ultimately TDP walked out of the NDA in March 2018 and the subsequent electoral mandate is a testimony that Naidu’s move was erroneous. He has lost his base.
Now, the TDP Rajya Sabha wing split and four lawmakers coming out and joining BJP have made observers believe that henceforth the Lotus party would mean more aggressive and businesslike political actions in Andhra Pradesh.
In the words of J P Nadda, BJP’s new Working President, “The positive approach shown by Y S Chowdary and others in joining BJP would definitely contribute in strengthening our party in Andhra Pradesh.”
Mr Nadda, known for simple and candid observation, went onto say: “We will make use of their services and in full steam would expand the base of BJP in Andhra Pradesh”.
Y S Chowdary, former Union Minister, who was reluctant to resign even in 2018 had in fact cautioned Chandrababu Naidu that perhaps he would be ‘wrong’ in quitting NDA as Prime Minister Modi remained the ‘most popular’ leader in the country notwithstanding whatever his detractors have said.
But somehow, sources said, Chandrababu was adamant and even did not mind joining hands with Rahul Gandhi-led Congress total oblivious of the fact that NT Rama Rao had founded TDP as a solid anti-Congress outfit.
“We have decided to join BJP to work for the nation and particularly for the state of Andhra Pradesh. We want to emphasize on all issues raised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act to be implemented as early as possible,” Chowdary said on the day he and his colleagues quit TDP.
Answering questions, he waxed eloquently to suggest - "the BJP and the Modi government is the best platform we thought to work with cooperation and coordination. We will avoid competition and confrontation".
Fast Paced Actions:
The political development of June 20, 2019 in more ways than one reflects the stamp of Amit Shah-J P Nadda duo. The quickness with which they worked in coordination with Y S Chowdary camp actually caught the entire political circle and the capital’s self-styled ‘know all media’ unaware. The move certainly had green signal from Prime Minister and hence it also went on hurdles free.
In a fast paced development on a day President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the Joint Sitting of Parliament, four dissident MPs - Y S Chowdary, C M Ramesh, Garikapati Mohan Rao and T G Venkatesh met in the capital and adopted a resolution to write to the Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to allow the merger.
They also decided to write to BJP Chief Amit Shah to accept the merger.
Acting quickly, all four rebel MPs rushed to BJP chief Amit Shah for his 'acceptance' and later called on the Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha Mr Naidu. Former minister Y S Chowdary and others in a resolution said the 'merger' of rebel wing of TDP Legislature Party can be done under the provisions of Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
''TDP has six MPs in Rajya Sabha and four rebels make it two-third and that is why the merger is possible under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution,'' Mr Chowdary said. The rebel MPs met Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in presence of BJP working president J P Nadda and Leader of the Rajya Sabha Thawar Chand Gehlot with an "acceptance" letter from the BJP allowing the merger.
It meant – to use a journalistic cliché – everything was well planned and only better executed.
Finally, Nadda was at party headquarters along with TDP MPs and announced that the merger is a done thing.
BJP at present is the single largest party in the Rajya Sabha with 71 MPs in the 245-member Upper House of Parliament and four additional numbers only adds to its strength.
“This is a vital development politically as it speaks of PM Modi’s popularity and how political adversaries are being attracted to Modi’s ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. No one wants to miss the development bus,” says a BJP Minister on the condition of anonymity and mentioned that this is in sharp contrast to the politics of 1990s when ‘everyone tried to join the secular bus’.
Blow hot-Blow Cold:
Closer scrutiny of Andhra Pradesh politics and BJP’s acceptability in the state reveals that the Lotus party is in ‘resurgent mood’ following its conquest of power in the country and increase in vote share in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In fact, the foot soldiers of the saffron party and also the RSS say there are huge prospects now for “the Hindutva-ideology oriented value-based politics” in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Reasons for such optimism, according to workers both in the RSS and the BJP, are many.
“The ideology of the RSS for a strong united India has been accepted by the people in the Deccan region and especially Andhra Pradesh. Youths and women and neo middleclass like the leadership of Prime Minister,” says a Telangana-based leader (who does not belong to BJP).
Final decision on the merger and related developments may still remain in the court of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, also a Telegu speaking leader in his own right.
Chandrababu Naidu camp has also complained to him and said the splinter group of four lawmakers should not be treated as part of BJP members in the Upper House.
Y S Chowdary faces CBI probe:
All that glitters is not gold and thus just because he joined BJP, Y S Chowdary would not become virtuous. Many local BJP leaders are opposed to his entry into the saffron fold as he is facing a CBI probe in the bank fraud case. To start with both BJP leaders and CBI officials have said that the CBI investivation would not be affected by the political developments.
In fact, Chowdary is likely to get a notice sooner than later and may be even summoned by CBI Bangaluru office. There are three FIRs pending from three banks. It has been allegd that Best and Crompton Engineering Projects Limited, Chennai, owned by Mr Chowdary, caused a total loss of Rs 364 crore by obtaining loans after submitting false statements. The loss caused was Rs 133 crore to the Central Bank of India, Rs 71 crore to Andhra Bank and Rs 159 crore to the Corporation Bank. The Enforcement Directorate too had taken up their own investigation based on the CBI cases.
ends
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