The TDP regime is all set to complete six months in office. How has it been so far?
To be fair to the TDP, since they are dealing with a new State that would now have to fend for itself with Hyderabad going the other way, six months is too short a period to evaluate them on the development front.
However, where the ‘Party’ is inexplicably found wanting is on delivering on its pre-poll promises!
Clearly, Naidu has backtracked on his loan-waiver promise and is now attaching all sorts of ‘riders’ to his promise. This is brazen cheating and Naidu has clearly lost credibility of the people on this issue.
It is now clear that it was just made with an intention to come to power and that there is no way Naidu can implement it in spirit of his promise. And then there is the land-pooling issue.
What is baffling to the public and political analysts in this regard is Naidu’s behavior regarding the new capital.
First he appoints an expert committee headed by Sivaramakrishnan on where to locate the new capital. The committee recommends against location of the new capital in Vijayawada-Guntur belt. Naidu disregards their advice and is now threatening the farmers of that area to part with their lands. Overnight, Naidu has turned into a ‘Hitler’ for the farmers.
The construction of a new capital is definitely important. But we can at least use Hyderabad for the next ten years. The most important thing that Naidu and the TDP should be focused on currently is the promise of a ‘special status’ to AP.
Once AP gets the ‘special status’, development would usher in of its own accord. But there is a mystifying silence on this issue.
Many wonder now whether AP would get the ‘special status’ at all given the fact that it is the UPA govt which made the promise.
In fact, the general perception is that the NDA regime under pragmatist Modi is not very keen on doling out such kinds of sops to AP which might be a burden on the national exchequer.
Yet, every time that Nirmala Seetharaman speaks to the media, she says that AP will definitely get the ‘special status’. But when? Venkayya Naidu behaves more like a TDP man than a BJP person, but he clearly has no clout with Modi.
The TDP is unable to use its alliance with BJP to put pressure on the latter and get the ‘Special status’ for the simple reason that the BJP has an absolute majority.
The biggest priority before the TDP should be to get AP accorded the ‘special status’ without any further delay. That would be a huge impetus to the entire State unlike the new capital which would benefit the surrounding areas and the realty sectors only.
Programs like ‘land pooling’ designed with ulterior motives can take a back seat along with the trips to Japan and Singapore. Focus on the ‘Special Status’, Mr. Naidu!
