Hyderabad : The YSRCP has bagged more than expected seats and the ‘Fan’ (it’s election symbol) has totally rattled not only the ruling TDP, but also the Lotus (BJP) and the Glass (Jana Sena). The poll results, of both of the State Assembly and the Lok Sabha, have come as a great shock to the leaders of these parties, who boasted that they are sure to defeat the YSRCP headed by Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
The TDP president and its leaders made fun of Jagan’s ‘yatra’ in many ways, and wanted to win over the hearts of people by accusing him of running away from the Legislature, raising non-issues. They also tried to project Jagan as a criminal, who was facing cases, and also accused him of having a secret pact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to see that he (Jagan) was absolved of the cases being faced by him, in spite of the fact that Jagan was targeting not only Chandrababu Naidu’s Government but also the Centre and the Congress, saying they have cheated the people of the State on Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. As a matter of fact, the TDP, Congress, BJP and Jana Sena made every effort to make the people believe that Jagan was not interested in the State and the people, but only in amassing wealth, protecting his wealth and getting out of the criminal cases.
Jagan, on the other hand, continuously and consistently championed the cause of ‘special status category’ to the State, as promised in Parliament; on the State remaining backward in many fields; the Chief Minister swindling funds in the name of building the new capital and projects; neglect of the people of all strata and so on. It cannot be ignored that only because of Jagan, that Chandrababu Naidu had snapped his ties with the BJP and the Prime Minister, after hugging him and sailing with him for more than four years, and praising Modi to the skies.
As Jagan and YSRCP raised the tempo on Special Category Status issue, and the peoples’ support to him started going up, the TDP supremo suddenly realized that he will be left out in the race if he still supported the Prime Minister, and then rebelled against the Prime Minister and started insisting on Special category status, which he had earlier buried. He had actually wrote to the Centre accepting ‘special package’ to the State and there was no need for SCS. He also threatened the people and groups, which raised their voice in favour of SCS. After taking a U-turn, he thought that the people would believe that he was really interested in SCS and waging a battle against the Prime Minister and the Centre. But, the people did not believe his tantrums against the Centre and the Prime Minister. On the other hand, the people have believed that Jagan was consistent in his stand on SCS and he was sure to continue the fight against the Centre if elected to power.
One more issue that made people vote against the TDP was the way its chief dealt with people’s issues and also on building the new Capital, Secretariat and High Court. Only after four years of rule, he announced schemes like ‘Pasupu Kumkuma’ and so on on the eve of elections, while not taking care of the people earlier. On building up of the new Capital, though the Centre has given funds, not a single ‘permanent’ structure was built, but only ‘temporary’ structures were put up and this made the people suspect that there was something fishy in the matter and there was substance in what the Prime Minister and the Union Minister, Opposition leaders said about swindling and diversion of funds. There was also a feeling that Naidu had brought about a division among the employees. Added to all these was the issue of attack on leader of Opposition Jagan at Visakhapatnam airport and comments made by the Chief Minister soon after the incident, which made the people suspect that the Chief Minister wanted to get rid of Jagan.
Chandrababu always tried to project himself as Mr Clean ( I am like fire, he used to boast) and wanted the people to believe he is free from corruption. People did not believe his words, but actually made it a point of laughter. They refer to the ‘Crore for Vote’ through which he wanted to destabilize the elected TRS Government in Telangana. He, as also Revanth Reddy, who was then in TDP, were caught redhanded and this made Chandrababu to leave Hyderabad in a huff and shifting the offices to Amaravathi, even though necessary infrastructure was not available there.
Many people say that the land acquisition by the AP Government for setting up of the new capital city was also a major cause for the defeat of the TDP in the present elections. Many ryots of not only Krishna and Guntur districts, who were actually affected, but also from other districts, entertained a view that the TDP chief had caused irreparable loss to the farming community by acquiring huge extent of agriculture lands on which three, four crops were being raised earlier. The TDP Government has actually ruined the agriculture and the farming community, many feel. The abnormal delay in providing the assured assistance to the people hit by natural calamities, even after getting funds from the Centre, has also turned the people against the TDP. The Chief Minister had failed to come up to the expectations of the people, and that was why he was shown the door, it is said. (NSS)
