A political vacuum is felt in Congress in Andhra Pradesh like never before, exactly one year after the death of late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, as the state was gripped by one crisis after another.
Andhra Pradesh, which was a model for other states in the country for its political stability and rapid progress on the path of development till Reddy was alive, now presents a picture of uncertainty. The political vacuum is there mainly on two counts — the unprecedented agitation for separate Telangana statehood and the defiance of Rajasekhar Reddy's son Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, to heed to the party high command's directives.
The ruling Congress in the state that looked like a rock in terms of unity and coherence when Rajasekhar Reddy was at the helm of affairs, is now in a state of utter chaos. A spirited campaign began to install Rajasekhar Reddy’s 38-year-old son as Chief Minister almost immediately after his death with a large number of MLAs and even ministers openly supporting his candidature. The scene of ministers and MLAs visiting the residence of Congress Rajya Sabha member, Mr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, a close friend of YSR, was routine. There were reports that Rosaiah, the high command’s choice, was not getting cooperation from the ministers who were the hand-picked supporters of YSR. Ms Konda Surekha had even quit as minister in support of the demand to make Jagan as Chief Minister. Even one year after YSR’s death, Mr Jagan remains a problem for the Rosaiah government as he remains defiant of the high command's directives over his controversial ‘Odarpu yatra’ to console the families of those who died after the death of his father. Though repeated assertions by the high command appeared to have made majority of ministers and legislators to toe the party line and vouch support for Mr Rosaiah of late, Mr Jagan's supporters claim that he is only leader who can steer the party to success in the state. Mr Jagan should be given an important responsibility in the state to realise YSR’s goal of bringing back the party to power in 2014 elections and make Mr Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister, Ms Surekha said. Mr Jagan has been defying the party high command's directives over his yatra and has completed two phases of the tour. In his response to the party high command's decision to offer Rs 1 lakh financial assistance to the families of those who died after Rajasekhar Reddy's death, Mr Jagan has said the party MPs, MLAs and other leaders should join him in the yatra to bring "completeness" to the endeavour.
In the absence of Rajasekhar Reddy, the war of words between the supporters of Mr Jagan and those opposed to him in the Congress became almost a daily affair. In a veiled attack on the previous Rajasekhar Reddy administration, senior Congress MLAs, Mr D.L. Ravindra Reddy and Mr J.C. Diwakar Reddy had kicked up a political storm by alleging that a Rs 10,000 crore scam took place in a controversial land transfer from the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) to a private firm. Meanwhile, Mr Rosaiah faced crisis after crisis in the form of unprecedented floods, financial loss of Rs 100 crore per day due to the violent Telangana agitation and Mr Jagan's defiance. Apart from the crisis in the ruling party, the single biggest difference that happened due to the absence of Rajasekhar Reddy is the Telangana issue. YSR was seen as the most formidable opponent of the separate state demand and political observers feel that he virtually decimated the TRS. In the wake of a shock defeat in the elections, rebellion mounted against the leadership of TRS president, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Several TRS leaders demanded that he step down from the post of party president. The Telangana demand appeared to have been muted following these developments. The death of Rajasekhar Reddy, however, revived the TRS and the separate statehood agitation. Mr Chandrasekhar Rao undertook a fast and his action of drinking fruit juice after two days, while in hospital made the students take to the streets. The Union Government's announcement on December nine that the process of formation of separate Telangana will be initiated and subsequent re-thinking on the issue angered the Telangana supporters. A number of youth allegedly committed suicides in support of the Telangana demand and the agitation turned violent in the Osmania University, while protests took place in non-Telangana region against the Centre’s move to create separate Telangana. The Telangana issue has vertically split the political class into two groups, so much so that war of words on regional lines among Congress leaders has become the order of the day. In a bid to find an amicable solution to the complex problem, the Centre appointed a five-member committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Judge B N Sri Krishna, to go into the issue. The Telangana agitation, coupled with the global economic slowdown, made the state lose revenue to the tune of Rs 100 crore a day.
The state's economy is now back on track with the Rosaiah government observing strict fiscal discipline. After the death of Rajasekhar Reddy, the Congress now lacks a leader who can match his charisma and leadership ability and state-wide appeal. Rajasekhar Reddy died in a tragic chopper crash in the Nallamala forest due to inclement weather on September two, while he was on his way to Chittoor district to launch a mass-contact programme. (PTI)
