As unabated violence continues in Andhra Pradesh in view of the renewed demand for a separate Telangana state, one is left to wonder how this agitation was allowed to attain such proportion. Public and private properties are damaged, the public is attacked indiscriminately, offices are closed and daily workers/ labourers are denied of their daily livelihood. In short, the entire state is being held to ransom by a party that literally has very little or no political relevance in the state.
Lets consider the political background of TRS and its leader K.Chandrasekara Rao during the last 5 years. TRS’s performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha Election was abysmal and the number of seats it bagged during the recently held Assembly Elections was not very impressive either. As a whole, the political existence of TRS and its reasons was challenged by the people, as they refused to give their mandate to the party during the elections. Notwithstanding the same, TRS probably got impressed with MNS (in Maharashtra) that they decided to establish their political identity by taking to violence. Jokes apart, it is worth pondering that how jokers like KRC are allowed to prosper in the current political scenario.
YSR’s death
The absence of YSR is a crucial factor that has a huge bearing on politics in AP. YSR was a very powerful leader in the state, who was able to ensure stability within the party and was successfully able to manage his oppositions as well as all/ any factionalism within his party. He was capable of showing people their rightful place and was fairly successful in controlling naxalism as well as the Telangana movement. His untimely demise has now given room to these oppressed categories to flex their muscles and bully people around.
Jagan for CM
Immediately after YSR’s untimely death, the ‘Jagan for CM’ madness caught fire. All vested interests within and outside the party wanted to make YSR’s son Jaganmohan Reddy as the next CM of Andhra Pradesh. Jagan inarguably was a political novice who was just a year old in politics and this entire attempt to make him the CM was undoubtedly to achieve both political as well as business ends. The Congress High Command, courtesy Sonia Gandhi, quietly put all that to rest and confirmed the then caretaker CM Rosaiah as the new CM of Andhra Pradesh. Jagan was definitely not impressed with this, afterall he knows that the state is his family property and the public money is his money (his father knew better)
Jagan-KRC – The connection
Now what is the connection between Jagan and KRC, one may wonder. Jagan as CM was a certain yes for Jagan, but the Congress Party did not think so. They wanted Jagan to grow up, but Jagan seems to be thinking otherwise. He probably thinks running the Government is as easy as running his TV news channel company. He tried (rather indirectly) convincing his party high command in making him the CM, now he perhaps feels that it is time to force his party high command into taking a decision.
In my humble opinion, I feel KRC, TRS and his Telangana movement is now a political tool in the hands of Jagan. Jagan seems to be making sure that there is political instability in the state and the poor man Rosaiah is removed from the CM post, so that he can tell his party high command that he is the right man to lead the state and ‘control’ the Telangana movement.
All this is pure assumption. But who knows, our worst fears may always come true!!