Though BJP might have received a drubbing in Bihar Assembly polls, the chief ministers of Telugu States K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu are seeing a new ray of hope out of this debacle.
The reason, both the CMs feel that BJP-led NDA government has meted a raw deal to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, post bifurcation of Undivided AP in 2014.
While on AP front, it failed to fulfill its promise of according 'special status' to AP besides failing to extend financial assistance to build new capital city, the Telangana government is angry at the Modis' government for ignoring its repeated requests on relaxing FRBM norms to facilitate borrowing more loans and failure to fulfill the promises made to Telangana State in AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 with regard to setting up of a steel plant, power plant, tribal university, horticulture university, AIIMS, IIM etc.
Despite this, both the CMs kept quiet for the last 17 months looking at bulldoze majority of BJP in Parliament, wherein it does not require the support of any party for its survival and both the CM's feel that they were ill-treated by Modi on account of this.
But having suffered back-to-back humiliating defeats in Delhi and Bihar Assembly polls, for the first time BJP and Modi were pushed to a corner and both the CMs feel that time is ripe to step up pressure on Modi government, which is in defensive mode, and secure funds for both the states.
Both the CMs are planning to keep in touch with Nitish-Lalu grand alliance and talk about restoring 'Third Front' from time to create a sense of fear in Modi about regional parties deserting NDA and BJP.
Let's see how these plans work out.
