- People down South will nod in comprehension while reading the subject matter. Yes, we are aware of how the decades of clamoring for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh yielded results when the government authorities at both the Centre and state allowed this momentous occasion to unravel. Right from the political leaders and ordinary people of erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh, the separate carving of Telangana was an emotive issue that kept cropping up during every narrative for decades before those calls were acceded to eventually. Mind you, the newly carved state of Telangana had to face several challenges to not only establish its identity but also show to the world that it means business to ensure the progress of the region at par with other states.
PC: PTI
- The moot point to ponder over here is whether the bifurcation has resulted in fructification of the aspirations of people on expected lines. More precisely, how the new state of Telangana evolved as compared to the original Andhra Pradesh. Let’s delve deep to understand how things are panning out now. In June 2014, Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu became Andhra’s first CM post-bifurcation, and he was already undivided Andhra’s longest-serving CM. Ten years on, he finds himself in jail, accused of graft. TDP with 23 MLAs is the only opposition to CM Jagan Reddy’s YSRCP with 151 MLAs in the 175-seat assembly. Andhra’s politics and its economy, not just faltering but in disarray, are in contrast to Telangana’s, which has found firm footing as a state.
- Telangana has carved out an identity and prosperity despite controversies, from graft to nepotism, that dog CM K Chandrasekhar Rao. For the uninitiated, Telangana, in 2022-23, boasted India’s highest per capita income of 3,08,372; Andhra’s stood at 2,19,518. Andhra is lagging on human development indicators as well. The infant mortality rate in Andhra remains the highest among the five southern states, at 30 deaths per 1,000 live births. Telangana had improved its IMR by 2020 – it was down to 26, lower than the all-India IMR number of 28. Andhra can ill-afford indifferent governance because it has some of India’s most drought-prone areas and a coast frequented by intense cyclones. Add to all this the soap opera of Andhra’s capital city.
PC: Sruthi Vibhavari
- Of course, Naidu still promises Amravati, his 59,000 crore dream capital built on fertile land pooled from farmers of 30 villages. Andhra lost the plot once Reddy, as CM in 2019, initially raised loans for Amravati, then opted to decentralize, identifying three cities as seats of power, then decided on Visakhapatnam as capital. The World Bank pulled out and investors remain wary. Telangana and Andhra are still fighting over the division of assets and river waters. Meanwhile, Rao is flaunting a Telangana model, his BRS is set to contest in Andhra in 2024 – both in LS and assembly. Indeed, murky politics and poor policy ultimately hurt political careers. That’s something Andhra’s incessantly squabbling politicians should remember. It’s a sad story that’s untangling indeed.
