Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a special package of more than Rs 50,000 crore for Bihar, a longstanding demand from the state which also happens to be going to the polls later this year.
The 14th Finance Commission will also be allotting Rs 3.75 lakh crore to Bihar. Needless to say, this is an important election for the BJP in Bihar where it hopes to form the government.
But the scenario and timing of the special package is all too familiar, is it not?
They had promised a special status to AP after bifurcation and gone back shamelessly on their word citing various reasons including the 14th Finance Commission, objections that would surface from other states etc.
But what hurt the people of AP more than this U-turn by the BJP was the unwillingness of the TDP led by Chandrababu Naidu to question, fight and get the special status sanctioned by the BJP despite being its ally.
In the wake of this fresh electoral incentives being doled out to Bihar, will the people of Bihar tryst the BJP and vote that Party to power only to be duped by it later or will they see through the BJP ruse?
And more importantly from AP’s perspective, will the TDP and Pawan Kalyan now at least show some self-respect and demand that the BJP fulfill its promise to AP too or call off their alliance with the BJP?
It seems highly unlikely amid speculation that Naidu needs the support of Modi to extricate himself from the ‘Revanth Reddy episode’ and allegations of massive corruption regarding the new capital construction.
As for Pawan Kalyan, he is just a bit actor on the national scene and does not really seem to have the wherewithal to abandon everything for the sake of the people. He came, he campaigned and he left, leaving the people to their own plight.
One honest leader is all that AP needs! But that is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. A sad plight for a state that has produced men like Potti Sriramulu, Alluri Seeta Ramaraju, Prakasam Pantulu, Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy and Hanumantha Naidu.
Kiran Sharma
