It is not just Andhra Pradesh along that is being deprived of funds by the Centre, even the TS government is in the same situation.
Telangana got only Rs 100 crore as grant-in-aid in the first quarter of this financial year as against Rs 1, 000 crore received in the corresponding period last year.
However, BJP-ruled States Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have received more than Rs 3,000 crore in the first quarter. Neither has the Centre released funds for Centrally-sponsored schemes.
While the Centre claims that the States have not submitted utilisation- certificates, the State government says it has complied with all the norms.
Because of this lack of assistance from the Centre, the State government has had to divert Rs 5,000 crore from the Rythu Bandhu scheme for other expenses.
Thus, the situation in TS is no different but the government there has not unleashed a media war or anything of that sort on the Centre. Why?
There is no threat to the TRS from either the BJP or the Congress. It is comfortably placed to win 2019 and besides, the TRS has a tacit understanding with the BJP and will wield the upper hand if BJP needs its support in 2019.
On the other hand, in AP, the yellow media has launched a full-scale war on the BJP as it faces stiff competition from the YSRCP.
Denial of assistance to TDP will prove advantageous to YSRCP but the TDP is having success in projecting this lack of assistance as a concerted BJP-YSRCP-Jana Sena plan.
Right now, there is only one thing in the minds of the people of Andhra Pradesh: massive confusion!
And eventually, it is the politicians who always end up as winners! What does it matter which Party they belong to?
