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The Telugu Desam Party-sponsored no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government, set to be taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha on Friday, will bring the spotlight back on the Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and the political controversy surrounding it.
Though the numbers weigh heavily in favour of the ruling dispensation, the Opposition now has a rare opportunity to embarrass and corner the government in the debate. The TDP is pulling out all stops to put the BJP on the mat and expose what it calls “the betrayal of the people of AP” by the NDA government, of which the State’s ruling party was a constituent only months ago.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who also heads the TDP, has written to all major parties in the country, seeking support for AP’s cause and the no-confidence motion. The SCS, promised by the UPA government of Manmohan Singh, and the implementation of the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, have emerged as the main bone of contention between the State and Central governments since early 2018.
Among the key demands of the State are: a railway zone headquartered at Visakhapatnam; a steel factory at Kadapa; a major port in south coastal Andhra; bridging the State’s revenue deficit; a petro-chemical complex at Kakinada.
Political realignments
However, in developments that point to possible political re-alignments in the run-up to 2019, the AIADMK, the ruling party in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, has decided to oppose the motion. Similarly, the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS) is almost decided on not backing the motion. The TRS had taken a similar stand during the Budget session, too.
The YSR Congress, the principal Opposition in AP, but the most vocal party demanding SCS, will be conspicuous by its absence in the LS. Last month, the Speaker had accepted the resignation of all five MPs of the YSRC, which is led by Leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Interestingly, it was the YSRC that had first sought to move a no-trust motion against the Modi government, during the Budget Session. It was however, not admitted.
The TDP sees a clear design in the YSRC’s actions. Senior TDP leader and State Finance Minister Y Ramakrishnudu claimed: “There is a covert deal between YSRC and the BJP, and now it’s out in the open. The people of the State will see through it.”
The Congress and its President Rahul Gandhi is also getting ready for a real showdown with the ruling NDA and, even though it has no representation from Andhra Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, the party is likely to project the State’s AP issues prominently in order to regain a foothold in AP.
In 2014, the party drew a blank in elections to the Lok Sabha and the State Assembly. The Congress now hopes to revive its fortunes riding on its oft-repeated promise of SCS to AP, if it comes to power in 2019. Rahul Gandhi has stated that granting SCS to AP would be his first priority, if he were to become prime minister.
Jana Sena Party leader and superstar-actor Pawan Kalyan had lent decisive support to the TDP-BJP combine in the 2014 polls. He has now turned against both parties and gravitated to the Left parties; he represents the sizeable Kapu community, and even without a presence in either the Lok Sabha or the State Assembly, Kalyan has backed the no-confidence motion.
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