Has BJP unleashed its game plan to undermine TDP government and make it vulnerable to attacks from all sides in Andhra Pradesh ? It looks so. Finance minister Arun Jaitley’s refusal to give Andhra Pradesh “special treatment’ and equating it with Odisha and Punjab is a clear indication that Modi’s government has decided once for all that there would not special status to Andhra Pradesh.
The decision has the potential to trigger movements across the state by opposition parties and other non-political outfits floated by movie star Sivaji and intellectuals like Chalasani Srinivas. YSRC, Congress and Left parties will intensify their fight. The Assembly which is expected meet in the last week of August is likely to witness war scenes. CPI has already called for a bandh. YSRC Jagan will lead a dharna opposite Paraliament on August 10.
The NDA government, which has denied special status to AP. should at least have announced a economic package to satisfy the people.
Why is this not happening?
Modi appears to be on the killing spree of rivals both with in and outside the party.
With in the BJP, he successfully liquidated potential rivals, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. All are caught up in the cesspool of corruption. Ultimately, Modi government will bailout them but also hollow them out politically. They have to live at the mercy of Modi. Now it is difficult for the three strong leaders of BJP to rescue themselves from the Lalit gate (Sushma and Vasundhara) and Vyapam (Chouhan)without serious injuries.
Now, Modi appears to be targeting two potential non-BJP leaders in the country- Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar.There has been going on a open war of words between Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Mody. Nitish was the first person to oppose Modi’s candidature as the NDA Prime Ministerial candidate. In retaliation Modi is planning to wrest Bihar from Nitish in the Assembly election scheduled in October.
Next comes Chandrababu Naidu. From day one Modi has been maintaining distance from Chandrababu Naidu. Modi has no love lost for strong South Indian leader. He treats his AP ally like any other chief minister. BJP knows that unless Naidu is weakened in Andhra, the saffron party striking roots in the state is not possible. Submitting to Naidu’s wishlist in the name of pains of bifurcation is amounting to strengthening the TDP leader further. Naidu’s would tom-tom central assistance as the result of his statesmanship. So, keeping Naidu on tenterhooks and weaken him by making him vulnerable to opposition attacks will be politically beneficial to BJP.
Sources in TDP said some section in state BJP complained that Naidu was boasting the 24-hour power supply as his achievement hiding the fact that it was centre which made it possible. So, all central assistance will be credited to TDP’s account and BJP would get nothing, is their argument. They also said to have pointed to the corruption in TDP government and told their leadership that centre’s help won’t reach the people.
The pattern in the NDA-TDP relationship bears testimony to NDA’s tactful rejection of Naidu’s cries for help. Nothing came from centre, though there have been tons of assurances which Naidu can neither swallow nor blurt out. Yesterday’s Jaitley’s statement has reiterated Modi’s policy towards Naidu’s Andhra Pradesh.
Jaitley’s statement:
He cited the instances of Odisha, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh for special assistance while speaking on the government’s supplementary demand for grants in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Assuring parliament that no state would be given shortshrift in distribution of finances, Jaitley assured that states with special problems and their interests would be fully taken care of.
Regarding Odisha, Jaitley said its receipts under the 14th Finance Commission (FC) would more than double to Rs.180,796 crore, compared to the Rs.68,119 crore the state had received under the 13th Finance Commission.
“Andhra Pradesh has suffered from the bifurcation of the state. In the first year, we have been trying to help it to cover its losses,” Jaitley said.
“We will continue to support Andhra Pradesh in every way, whether it’s about its revenue deficits, and also in ways so that industry can come to the state,” he added.
