Andhra Pradesh on Compulsory Wait

He’s an NDA ally yet Chandrababu Naidu’s pleas for special status for his state has met with indifference in Delhi. With assembly elections some time away, Naidu has to bide his time.

- 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu is spitting fi re these days. Ever since he assumed charge for the second time as the chief minister of a truncated Andhra Pradesh in June, 2014, he has been pleading, urging, demanding and badgering the Narendra Modi government at the Centre to accord “Special Category Status” (SCS) to his state, but to no avail.

Naidu has tried to use every pressure tactic in his armoury. State-sponsored protests have been held throughout Andhra demanding ‘justice.’ Though part of the NDA government, his MPs have stormed the well of the House, demonstrated before the freedom statue in Delhi, met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Prime Minister Modi in delegations demanding that promises made at the time of bifurcation of the state be met and without any further delay.

Speaking during the Independence Day celebrations at the Neelam Sajeeva Reddy maidan in Anantpur, Naidu thundered: “The bifurcation was done in the most unscientific and illogical manner. We were thrown out with no funds and with huge debts. We were left with no capital (city) and no resources. “Though promises were made in the Act (the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act) and the special category status was promised on the floor of Parliament, nothing has been done in the last two years. Even a separate railway zone is yet to materialise. No funds have been sanctioned for Polavaram irrigation scheme, though it has been declared a national project,” he said, warning that, “we will not compromise on what is due to us.”

Naidu has every reason to be angry and frustrated. After being the longest serving chief minister (eight years and eight months) of the united Andhra, he lost power in 2004. He spent the next one decade as Leader of the Opposition, and in the changed political scenario, had little hope of returning to power.