Political slugfest over Vizag rail zone

The announcement of new railway zone for Andhra Pradesh by the NDA government has triggered a huge political row in the State, with the ruling Telugu Desam Party describing it as “a political ploy intended more to suit the political interests of the BJP in Odisha rather than bringing any benefit to the people of Andhra Pradesh” and the BJP leaders hotly contesting the charge.

Just two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Visakhapatnam on Friday, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal made a brief statement in New Delhi late Wednesday night that the government intended to create a new railway zone, with Visakhapatnam as the headquarters.

Odisha angle

The Waltair railway division will be divided to facilitate the formation of the new zone with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters. A new division will be formed at Rayagada in Odisha and some of the stations now under Waltair will be merged with that division and some of the stations in AP will be merged with the Vijayawada division.

The TDP condemned the proposal outright, opposing the division of the Waltair railway division which is now under the East Coast Railway based in Bhubaneswar. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said, “The BJP has played a trick on the people of Andhra Pradesh, making the announcement two days ahead of the PM’s visit to Vizag, making it seem as though it had done a great favour to the people of AP, but actually benefiting the people of Odisha, where the BJP is trying to make inroads.”

“But by the kind of artificial division of the Waltiar division the NDA government is proposing, the bulk of the revenue of the existing Waltair division will go to Odisha and the proposed new zone in AP will be left only with passenger revenue. The cream will go to Odisha and AP will be left only with the bun. It is a cheap trick played by the Modi government which is being too clever by half. People will see through the game,” Naidu said.

Naidu also expressed surprise that the local BJP leaders were going gaga over “this mockery of a zone” and the YSR Congress leaders are also welcoming it. “It is one more proof that the two parties are in league and they are out to betray the people of the State,” he alleged.

The TDP, the left and the Congressmen are planning to hold protest demonstrations against Prime Minister Modi in Vizag on Friday.

BJP defence

Taking exception to the CM’s comments but not directly naming him, senior BJP leader and Visakhapatnam member of Parliament K Haribabu said, “We can never satisfy the doubting Thomases. They will always raise some doubt or the other. We made a promise in the BJP manifesto that a new railway zone would be formed with Vizag as headquarters. We have fulfilled the promise.”

D Purandeswari, former minister in the UPA government and now in the BJP, and the sister-in-law of Naidu, also took exception to the CM’s statement.

The YSR Congress leaders in general welcomed the proposal, even though there were a few dissenting voices within that party also, and the Congress leaders and Communist leaders also opposed the division of the Waltair division. These leaders termed it yet another “betrayal of the people of AP” by the Modi government.

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