Tragedy of Andhra Pradesh
It’s very galling to note that the opinion polls and election analyses that have been going on for at least six months now in the run-up to the general elections of 2024 have just cursorily mentioned Andhra Pradesh without any discussion (AP is going for state Assembly elections too). In a way, it reflects that the once proud state of Andhra Pradesh has been relegated to a minor state not worth a discussion or analysis, after the most intriguing division of State in 2014. Prior to the bifurcation of the state done in an undemocratic manner through voice vote, in just a few seconds, with all the doors of the parliament closed, and against the resolution of the State Assembly, Andhra Pradesh was a major state with 42 Loksabha seats and was the largest state in the south. Today it has been pushed and shunted into the loop-line away from media glare. Even today a large chunk of Telugu media that covers Andhra Pradesh operates from Hyderabad.
It is very necessary to view Andhra Pradesh in a different way, as it’s not only the youngest state, but also because several of its existential problems are related to the bifurcation of the state by the then UPA Govt. It was said that the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi was against the division of the state, as were other CMs like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee.
Much water has flowed into the sea from Godavari and Krishna in the last ten years, quite literally too, as all the irrigation projects that were started by the N Chandrababu Naidu Govt when he was Chief Minister of the truncated Andhra Pradesh from 2014-2019, have come to a total standstill, including Polavaram, Pattiseema-penna, Vamsadhara and several other projects. The minimum repairs and maintenance works for several anicuts etc haven’t been done leaving them broken. The CM who took over in 2019 Mr Jaganmohan Reddy of YSRCP has proved himself to be more interested in Christian and other minorities’ vote-bank politics and has announced varieties of freebies, cleverly calculated to satisfy each section of the vote-banks, and unsurprisingly the new state has turned bankrupt. It is now said that unless the center releases its regular funds that it gives to all states, the state Govt of Andhra Pradesh cannot pay the salaries of Govt employees. Thousands of contract employees working on several govt projects are not being paid salaries for several months. The horrible state of roads and infrastructure has to be seen to be believed. The YSRCP govt ministers and ministerial staff live lavish lives on people’s money in rented places, as the state still has no capital.
Amaravati and pro-development policies 2014-2019
Amaravati, the new Andhra Pradesh capital (the capital of the ancient Satavahana Dynasty 2000 years ago was Amaravati, situated on the banks of river Krishna, in the present day Vijayawada- Guntur region) started with much fanfare, comprising several areas of Krishna and Guntur districts, designated as the state capital region (on the lines of the national capital region), and whose foundation stone was laid by the Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi nearly 10 years ago, has not moved further than where Naidu Govt left it, in fact it took a reverse gear as in the time of rapid financial growth and consolidation, the TDP Govt fell. The state which was gearing up to do phenomenally well under the then CM Naidu with several innovative schemes like land-pooling to build the new capital, the marketing of the state as ‘Sunrise’ state to attract capital and business investments into the state, the capital flows have already started with the successful holding of the Industrial Summit in Visakhapatnam with single window clearances, IT industry started moving into Vizag as it was projected as IT capital, the conversion of Vizag airport into an international airport (the successful handling of the devastating hudhud cyclone by the then CM when the affected North Andhra coastal districts were back on their feet in a few weeks) the Special Economic Zone of Sri City covering the old Chittoor and Nellore districts, the automobile factory in Anantapur district, the branding of coffee industry in Araku, the mandal-wise business development plans, the zooming fishing industry exports, have all started doing well. The new High Court and Secretariat were built, and CRDA was established which started building the new capital Amaravati encompassing the state capital region. It is to be noted that the bureaucracy and the state Govt staff moved from the Hyderabad Secretariat to the new capital region in Andhra Pradesh, only after much persuasion and incentives like a five-day week, etc by the then AP state Govt. The administrative machinery had to begin anew from scratch.
The Godavari and Krishna Pushkaralu, very dear and sacred to the Telugus were organized successfully in 2015 and 2016. In another great initiative, the Andhra Pradesh Govt started sending `Talambralu, etc’ to the Vontimitta Kodandarama Swamy temple in Kadapa district during Srirama Navami (a tradition in Bhadrachalam Srirama temple which went to Telangana in bifurcation). There was a new confidence in Andhra Pradesh that under CM Chandrababu Naidu with his decade of administrative acumen and experience as CM of undivided Andhra Pradesh and pro-development image which created brand Hyderabad previously by inviting international investments, the New Andhra Pradesh also would be a great success, assuaging the feelings of hurt and humiliation among the people post-bifurcation. The Andhra pride and the legendary Andhra entrepreneurship were returning again.
2019…
Suddenly everything came tumbling down in the 2019 Assembly elections when the Telugu Desam party was trounced by the YSRCP. And since then it has been hurtling down and has hit rock bottom. This round of simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and more importantly the State Assembly will determine whether it will stay at the rock bottom or rise up towards development.
The initial two-three years of Jaganmohan Reddy Govt since 2019 were spent in demolishing an important temple, and a series of Hindu temples were desecrated, the temple chariots and other temple-related materials were burnt down in several places including in Antarvedi, the murthis were vandalized in other places, the head of Bhagwan Sri Rama on a hillock in the ancient Ramateertham temple in Vizianagaram district was chopped off, with the crying temple poojari left holding the severed head in his hands. Most of the miscreants and vandalizers were never caught, those who were caught were supposed to have done those acts in a sudden fit of lunacy. Ex-Union minister and the much-revered scion of Vizianagaram samsthanam Sri Ashok Gajapathi Raju, who is also the hereditary trustee of the famous Sri Varaha Narasimha Swamy temple in Simhachalam was removed overnight. A relative was installed in his place violating all rules and norms of the temple board, even the temple managements were tampered with as people watched in shock (the state High Court reinstated him after a few years). Yet, the national media took no notice of these developments.
From the time the YSRCP Govt came to power in 2019, all the signs of arrogance of power and a certain vindictiveness characterized the Govt. The Praja Vedika in Vijayawada which served as a convention center was demolished, ex-ministers, MPs, and even a sitting MP were harassed and jailed on false cases, the shocking suicide of ex-speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao allegedly over Govt filing false cases against him that he has moved furniture from Assembly premises, all pointed to a sinister turn of events. At the same time, the allegations continued in social media that rampant conversions are happening in Andhra Pradesh, it has become a fertile ground for another kind of harvesting, the church `harvesting of souls’.
The handling of the Covid crisis by the AP Govt was simply disastrous, with deaths going unreported. It also must be noted that CM Jaganmohan Reddy started paying monthly remuneration to nearly 30000 pastors in 2019, although it wasn’t clear under what heads they were paying church pastors. The operative mode during elections of the present CM ascending the chair is also the same as his late father Congress Party CM Sri Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in 2004, that is, canvassing in churches that ‘god’s kingdom’ would be established in Andhra Pradesh.
Again it is not clear what advice the Central Govt has given to the incumbent CM, on several issues that were part of the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganization Act, including the new capital Amaravati, the Polavaram project, and other issues. The present CM started his hare-brained scheme of three capitals, primarily to loot prime properties in Vizag, leading to heavy denudation and destruction of the hills around Visakhapatnam. People who were wise enough saw through the game, but the majority of the people including well-educated people failed to understand their CM. The Amaravati farmers who gave their lands in the land-pooling scheme for the new capital which was going to be a win-win situation for all stakeholders, have been up in arms in protest for many years, virtually living on the streets, marching on the roads to Tirupathi and so on. But the hearts of the powers that be in both Vijayawada and Delhi didn’t shed a tear or relent. The Central Govt virtually allowed the CM to continue to go by his own whims and fancies, flouting all agreements. After repeated cases, the courts gave the much-required relief, and the govt was prevented from moving lock stock and barrel to Vizag. Ultimately all these disastrous developments not only resulted in a capital-less state but also led to complete ruination of the new state.
To reiterate, the Central Govt was a mute spectator to this crisis, especially as under the AP Reorganization Act, Hyderabad was to continue as the common capital for 10 years under the oversight of the Central Govt. The TRS’s KCR Govt in Telangana virtually drove away the Chandrababu Naidu Govt from Hyderabad, and the YSRCP Jaganmohan Reddy Govt ruined the capital region which was started in earnest by the TDP Govt. The Central Govt was similarly silent when the former CM Naidu was sent to jail on false cases, before him several TDP ex-ministers were also jailed. YSRCP govt also jailed their own sitting MP Sri Raghurama Krishna Raju who was beaten up black and blue by the CID dept, for daring to speak the truth in Lok Sabha, regarding the rampant Christian conversions which have reportedly crossed 25%, thus changing the state’s demographics. (The church pastors and agencies claimed on record a few years ago that the largely crypto-Christian population in the state has crossed 35%).
Unprecedented financial crisis
In five years 2014-19, the TDP Govt under Chandrababu Naidu and the then finance minister Y Ramakrishnudu have left a thriving and rapidly growing economy despite all the problems of a fledgling economy in a new state with no capital, industries, or infrastructure; in less than 2-3 years, the YSRCP govt brought the state to a grinding halt with complete bankruptcy. The investments in the state-backed out. The state which was among the fastest-growing states in 2019 at 10.22%, despite being a new state, is now in the negative at minus 1.8 %.
It has been pointed out by experts that the borrowings of the Andhra Pradesh government have exceeded its revenue receipts, and this is leading to bankruptcy. Instead of creating assets, the borrowings have been diverted for unproductive purposes. According to the RBI report, at the time of state bifurcation (2014), the government debt was Rs.1,18,050 crores. By 2019, the debt had increased to Rs.2.71 lakh crores. As per RBI estimates, the state’s total debt will reach Rs.4.85 lakh crores by the end of the current fiscal 2023-24; this figure is only borrowings from govt and doesn’t include borrowings from markets. It has been pointed out that by fiscal 2022-23 itself, the YSRCP Jaganmohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh mobilized loans worth Rs.6.38 lakh crores. The TDP alleging a lack of transparency, quoted the CAG, which said the state Govt had not mentioned the Off Budget Borrowings (OBB) in three successive budgets of 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. It has also not made public `how much loans it has availed through the various corporations and other institutions’. TDP alleged that Off Budget Borrowings (OBB) and Open Market Borrowings (OMB) were about Rs.8.52 lakh crore in 2023.
All states and Union territories have enacted their Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, which entitles state legislatures to monitor liabilities. The Centre has limited the borrowing of states to 3.5% of their Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), during 2023-24. It is again not known what set of actions the center is contemplating regarding states that are violating the FRBM Act. It has been reported that several govt assets have been mortgaged by the AP state govt to raise funds, if the central govt is aware of it, there is no word from them on it so far.
The role of the Central Govt – Special package and the bifurcation saga
The Central government’s oversight completely went missing; under the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganization Act, the Central Govt had a crucial role to play in administering the Act in a fair and nonpartisan manner. Under the Act, the capital city of Hyderabad had to remain the joint capital for 10 years 2014-24; yet when the AP govt was driven out of Hyderabad by the TRS’s KCR Govt, the Centre remained a mute spectator. With no capital or administrative or residential buildings or infrastructure, the then TDP govt in AP had to rent private quarters to start the Govt from Vijayawada. Gradually it built a Secretariat, Assembly, High Court, etc, setting up the Amaravati capital region authority, land-pooling for the capital, irrigation projects like Polavaram, handling the cycle of cyclones and droughts, braving several odds, and most of all keeping the morale of the people of Andhra Pradesh high. It is an irrefutable fact that people resented the haphazard division of the state, with no fair bifurcation of assets, they inherited a truncated state with huge revenue deficits and debts, with hardly any productive infrastructure or industries.
Nevertheless, it’s not clear if the Central Govt had provided a Special Package or provided everything that was spelled out in the Reorganization Act. The center was also required to play the role of a mediator in the negotiations between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Govt in terms of fair bifurcation process of various joint departmental movable and immovable assets which were in Hyderabad, and also fair settlement of dues. Instead of that, many years were spent in courts by the two sets of a few bifurcated depts paying huge sums of money to lawyers. Yet, it is reported that the outstanding issues with regard to assets are not yet settled. The Secretariat in Hyderabad was bifurcated between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, however, the TRS KCR Govt demolished both the secretariats and built a new Telangana secretariat in its place. Again it’s not known whether both states had reached any agreement on demolition and whether the proceeds are to be split between both states. Even as common people have many such questions, no answers are forthcoming from either states or the central govt.
The way the Centre simply ignored the crucial issues, especially the state of Andhra Pradesh makes it clear that since 2019 there has been no representation from Andhra Pradesh in the Union Cabinet, and national analysts haven’t even pointed this out as they know it would be ignored. To reiterate Andhra Pradesh was safely shunted out from the national attention and was left in the loop-line, after bifurcation.
Possibly it’s one reason why Telugu people are so despondent that they no longer care about the deterioration of the State. This apathy is in sharp contrast to the period 2014-19, though the mood in Andhra Pradesh was sullen against the division of the state, they wanted to prove a point or two to all, by becoming the fastest-growing state. With the reinstatement of the YSRCP Jaganmohan Reddy govt in 2019, everything has changed. Whether the angst is imaginary or perceived or real, it is an irrefutable fact that CBI cases against Jaganmohan Reddy haven’t moved even an inch in the last nearly 10 years. It is not known what advice the Central Govt, Ministry of Finance is giving to the new state of AP which is bankrupt, if it’s giving any advice at all.
The game of conversions and vote-banks – Social landscape
It’s a known fact that Christian conversions have got a massive boost after YSRCP Jaganmohan Reddy Govt took over in 2019. Though Andhra Pradesh has fallen prey to the aggressive conversion racket since the early 2000s, and especially during the Y S Rajasekhar Reddy govt which has continued ever since, the massive conversions have changed the demographics in several districts creating newer vote banks. The entire social milieu of Andhra Pradesh has changed, the once predominantly Hindu social landscape has now changed with hundreds of churches of various denominations as well as makeshift prayer halls (residential churches) dotting the landscape engaged in competitive conversions. (The majority of them were built without permission, especially the residential churches). Videos of pastors and ‘patients’ claiming their miracle oils and remedies have cured cancers, AIDS, etc go viral from time to time. No action is taken against them under The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954. The pastors also proclaimed that the converted population crossed 35% in the state, and some went on record calling for secession to carve out a separate `Christian country’. Govts need to disclose if they have taken any action against such demands.
Major festivals like Dussehra, Deepawali, Sri Rama Navami, Ugadi, etc are confined to temples only and are no longer the community celebrations that they were till recently. Contrary to the popular Telugu saying that there is no village in Andhra Pradesh without a Ramalayam, now even tiny villages have massive churches. Suvartha, swasthatha, and other congregations big and small being conducted across the state throughout the year is a common sight. The church’s grip is so tight that even a beggar gives 10% of his earnings to the church. Hindu temple stotras, stutis, namavalis, etc in praise of Hindu Devi-Devathas have all been converted into Yesu prarthanas. It’s well-known that Yesu himself is represented variously as Shiva and other Hindu Gods. A traveler can be excused if he feels bewildered whether he’s traveling in Andhra Pradesh or in Christendom.
The media is completely silent on this drastic change in demographics and social phenomenon. Some experts feel that the Congress party divided the state as a means to exactly achieve these ends, it is no secret that escalations in conversions occurred with the Congress party’s Y S Rajasekhar Reddy govt. Andhra Pradesh and subsequently Telangana, remain the only states to have AP Christian Minority Finance Corporations, set up by the then CM Y S Rajasekhar Reddy in 2008, catering exclusively to Christians, thus enabling conversions. It is not an exaggeration to call it state-sponsored religious conversions.
The Election Commission was totally silent for the last two decades when electoral canvassing was done from churches catering to a population that has become a powerful vote bank, where the promise to the flock was to establish ‘god’s kingdom/ devudi palana’ in the state. The situation is so dire that various parties in the state have to now kowtow to these established vote banks to gain a foothold. Both the Abrahamic minority vote banks are flourishing in the state, holding development to ransom.
Electoral politics in the new state
In a tragedy that started with the bifurcation of the state in 2014, the undivided Andhra Pradesh went into simultaneous parliament and State Assembly elections, and the state was formally divided after the election results. It must be a unique record in history that an undivided State Assembly held elections and a divided state ensued.
The NDA govt comprising the Telugu Desam Party and the BJP with support from Janasena formed the Govt in 2014. BJP has no presence in the state, and it comfortably piggybacked on TDP. While TDP ministers like Sri Ashok Gajapathi Raju joined the Modi cabinet in Delhi, BJP ministers were sworn in the Chandrababu Naidu cabinet in Andhra Pradesh. ( It must be noted that YSRCP comprises of a majority people of the old Congress party, as they all shifted to YSRCP when the Congress party divided the state, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy already left the party when he was not made CM by the Congress high command after his father’s death).
YSRCP Jaganmohan Reddy in opposition started demanding Special Status, Centre clarified that it wouldn’t be able to give the status, but would provide a special package and vowed to fulfill all the promises of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act; the State Assembly passed a resolution settling for a Special Package. TDP was convinced and everything was smooth sailing. YSRCP MPs resigned en masse in 2018 demanding Special status and making it a poll issue. In a quirk of fate, many allege that CM Chandrababu Naidu was spooked by the crowds Mr Jaganmohan Reddy was drawing in his padayatra, and he already enjoyed the support of entrenched Congress religious vote banks. Naidu then took the most disastrous decision of his life by walking out of the NDA. TDP was an old ally of the NDA having supported the NDA Vajpayee govt in the Centre for a full term, even when other allies like AIADMK and TMC walked out. After getting into power on the demand of special status for the state, the YSRCP govt has spent five good years without getting any kind of status.
The NDA’s old allies have again got together for the 2024 Parliament and Andhra Pradesh State Assembly elections, albeit much after the opinion polls started showing an upswing for TDP. People are now coming out of fear and are openly talking against YSRCP Govt. TDP supporters justifiably allege that the BJP was hedging its bets and may not have allied with TDP if the opinion polls suggested otherwise. Even after so many years, the BJP failed to build even a modicum of presence in Andhra Pradesh, BJP lost deposits too in the 2019 elections. TDP supporters also feel getting together with BJP at this stage is not beneficial to TDP’s electoral prospects, the majority of voters see that BJP has given tacit support to YSRCP Govt. The illegal imprisonment of Chandrababu Naidu, his aggressive campaign, his son Nara Lokesh’s firm leadership, and extensive padayatra are enabling TDP’s hopes to come back to power. Whether allying with BJP will help TDP or not, is to be seen. Another hitch in the story which didn’t go down well with any party is that YSRCP sitting rebel MP Raghurama Krishna Raju, who has rebelled against his party on several principled issues in the last five years, and reportedly got the support of none other than PM Modi, has been denied the ticket by BJP in Narsapuram, his own constituency. It should be noted that BJP did a hard bargain with TDP and has got 6 parliamentary seats for itself, The Narsapuram constituency is allotted to BJP with the understanding that it would be given to Sri Raghurama Krishna Raju, yet BJP denied the ticket to him. Mr Raghurama Krishna Raju belongs to the influential Kshatriya community, and there’s a lot of heartburn against the BJP in the state, even before the elections. (Gen VK Singh was denied the ticket by BJP in Ghaziabad where he won twice with huge margins, he too belongs to the Rajput community).
It is also the tragedy of Andhra Pradesh that eminent people from the state, writers, poets, intellectuals, experts in various domains, industrialists, businesses, Telugu cinema, Telugu media, and influencers have settled in Hyderabad over the decades as it was the political and administrative capital of the state for 60 years, and naturally have remained in Hyderabad. However, it is inexplicable why they remained silent on the developments of their parent state. After the bifurcation, Andhra Pradesh has yet to find its own intellectual, social, and political voice along with its own capital.
This tale with many twists is not yet done; hopefully, the NDA will iron out its differences and romp home, for the sake of the growth of a new state which was left in the lurch by all stakeholders. In less than a week, Andhra Pradesh goes to elections, to both Lok Sabha and the State Assembly. May Sri Rama bestow his benevolence and change the course of history in the old but new state.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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