A Nervous Naidu Seeks Early Polls

C HANDRABABU NAIDU has dissolved the AP Assembly and asked the Central Election Commissioner (CEC) for early polls in February. The CEC has poured cold water on Naidu’s hopes for early polls by refusing early elections. Behind Naidu’s desire for early polls lies the apprehension that the declining political stock of the BJP at the all-India level will also reflect badly on TDP’s performance if state polls are held simultaneously with parliamentary elections. Moreover, Naidu hopes to cash in on possible sympathy factor over PWG’s assassination attempt against him. But Naidu’s government had let loose a reign of state terror in the state in the name of fighting PWG and the common people were the worst sufferers of the police terror. Hence it is doubtful whether the sympathy factor will pay him any dividends.

Naidu has said that he would seek people’s mandate again against Naxalism to fight PWG whose activities are blocking development and the state and against the separatist demand for Telengana. A resolution adopted at the party’s politburo meeting had said, “Naxalites are hampering progress and development of the state by resorting to indiscriminate killing targeting people’s representatives and innocent people. We seek a fresh mandate from people to enable us to stamp out Naxalism effectively.”

First of all, PWG’s presence is confined mainly to Telengana. There is very little PWG activity in Rayalaseema and it is marginal in coastal Andhra. Chandrababu Naidu is conspicuous for his opportunist silence about the backwardness in these regions. Moreover, Naidu tries to identify ‘Naxalism’ solely with PWG. Other streams of Naxalite movement like CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(ML) New Democracy and CPI(ML) Unity Initiative, along with CPI and CPI(M), have launched a powerful mass movement with a growing political profile against the World Bank-dictated ‘reforms’ of Naidu government. By targeting Naxalism in general, Naidu launches his attack against this trend also.

Naidu is also afraid that if elections were held beyond April, drinking water and electricity shortages will affect his party’s electoral prospects. The last zila parishad elections showed that the Congress is gaining in Coastal Andhra and Telengana Rashtra Samity (TRS) had made strong inroads into Telengana. The Congress has already opposed Naidu’s continuation as caretaker chief minister and demanded President’s rule. Chandrababu Naidu’s is clearly nervous this time.

While the liberals are saying that naxalism has a socio-economic basis and should be tackled accordingly, Chandrababu Naidu has simply reversed the argument that there is no development in the state because of PWG. If farmers go on a suicide spree in Warangal and if there is a wave of starvation deaths in Anantapur in the face of government inaction, the PWG cannot be responsible for that. In fact, the PWG is not opposed to developmental activity as such. It is mainly opposed to the TDP politicians visiting villages to distribute ‘developmental benefits’ as part of the Janmabhoomi programmes to catch votes. Naidu won the last elections by converting routine government activity into populist schemes like Deepam and Janmabhoomi. But it is unlikely that the people of AP will be taken for a ride again.

The per capita income in Andhra Pradesh at Rs. 14,715 per annum is lower than the national average of Rs. 16.047 in 1999-2000. While the per capita income at the national level is growing at 9.1%, in AP it is growing barely at 0.1%. AP has slipped to 10th position among states in terms of per capita income during the 8 year period of Naidu’s rule. Unemployment in AP is more at 7.94 per cent than in Bihar (7.35%), Gujarat (4.63%) and Karnataka (4.61%). The illiteracy rate in AP is 50% and in rural areas of the state it is at 70%. Obviously, PWG cannot be responsible for all these. Naidu, with his boastful rhetoric on IT, has left this Cyperpradesh reeling in poverty, unemployment and illiteracy and blaming the PWG for his own failures.

Unfortunately, CPI and CPI(M) have declared that they will have an adjustment with the Congress in the coming state elections. The CPI(ML) Liberation criticized the move saying it was against the spirit of combined left opposition in the mass movement under the banner of nine left parties front. CPI(ML) Liberation convened a meeting of left parties on this issue. Five parties attended that but not the CPI and CPI(M). The five parties have again jointly written to the CPI and CPI(M) against their let down of the left unity. The Congress is also having an indirect adjustment with TRS. But the CPI(M) is opposed to Telengana as part of their all-India opposition to creation of small states. How the CPI(M) is going to reconcile itself with this contradiction is not clear. The chances of the Left emerging as a powerful opposition in the state is very bright and it is possible onlythrough their independent political assertion

-BS