Articles
Chandranna’s and Jagananna’s Roles in the Distress Amaravathi Areas’ Farmers in Andhra Pradesh
Dt:8/7/20
Chandranna’s and Jagananna’s Roles in the Distress
Amaravathi Areas’ Farmers in Andhra Pradesh
Dr T H Chowdary*
The more than two hundred days long agitation of the more than ten thousand farmer families who parted with their thirty thousand acres of farm lands for construction of Chandranna’s dream capital, Amaravathi for Andhra Pradesh does not seem to have an end any soon, nor can it have a satisfactory solution as long as Jagananna’s YSR Congress party’s rule lasts in A.P. Let us analyse the issues involved.
2. A movement was launched for carving a separate province, Andhra comprising of the Telugu speaking districts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema (eleven in number then) in the first decade of the 20th century (Bapatla conference in 1913). The leaders in Rayalaseema apprehensive of domination by Coastal Andhra wanted to continue their area in the Madras province, believing that they would get fairer treatment from the Tamil majority in Madras province. To remove this apprehension, the Sribaugh Pact was concluded between the leaders of Andhra and Rayalaseema in November 1937, at the house, Sribaug of Desodharaka Nageswar Rao Panthulu garu in Chennai . When the Andhra state was formed in October 1953 in terms of the Sribaug pact, the capital was located in Rayalaseema’s Kurnool and the High Court was located in Coastal Andhra town, Guntur.
3. Visalandhra comprising of Andhra and Telangana was formed as Andhra Pradesh in November 1956. Then too, there was a gentlemen’s agreement between the leaders of Andhra and Telangana regarding sharing of ministerial power and use of Telangana’s revenue surpluses . The agreement was broken in the early years itself leading to separatist movements for division of AP by Telangana people in 1969 and by Andhra people in 1972, both of which were brutally suppressed by Prime Minister Indira’s direction. The “separate Telangana” agitation was resumed in April 2001. It succeeded in June 2014, with the decision of the foreign-origin Congress chief Sonia Maino (Gandhi) who was in command of the then UPA government in the Center.
4. Chandra Babu Naidu was an influential political player in the Telugu lands since 1978, as minister(Congress and TDP) , Chief Minister ( 1995-2004) , Leader of Opposition (2004-14), Chief Minister of remnant AP (2014-’19) and Leader of Opposition in AP again since 1909. No other Telugu person has been and is in power politics in Telugu state(s) as Sri Naidu who has morphed into Chandranna (in the later half of his tenure) as Chief Minister of AP (2014-19). Sri Naidu gifted government money as Chandranna’s Pasupu Kumkalu, kanukalu , Beema etc. His party was routed in the 2019 elections as people voted by the rival YSRC as its leader Sri Jagan Mohan Reddy (who as Chief Minister morphed into Jagananna) promised more gifts, to more sections of voters. In his four decades plus long political career, Sri Naidu was either in or in alliance with every political party for some years - Congress, TDP, CPI, CPM, Jana Sena, TRS and BJP. The alliance with BJP gave him wo wins (1999 and 2014). The break with BJP cost him two defeats (2004 & 2019) . This long narration of back ground is necessary to understand the problems of Amaravati as capital of AP and the farmers of that capital region.
5. How Amaravathi was chosen: The Union government committed itself to find and fund a capital for the separate state of AP. Its Sivarama Krishnan Committee recommended an area around Donakonda in Kurnool district of Rayalaseema, as ample government land is available there. Chief Minister Naidu exercised the State’s right to decide where the capital should be . He chose Amaravathi. The Union government would fund the constructions essential for the capital of state, as it funded the capitals of the newly carved states - Raipur for Chattisgarh, (out of Madhya Pradesh) Ranchi for Jharkhand (out of Bihar) and Dehradun for Uttarakhand (out of UP) .
6. Sri Naidu conceived of a capital for the truncated (2014) state of AP unparalleled splendour in the world and so acquired 30,000 ( about 250 sq. kms) of cultivating land from farmers. He conceived an unparalleled scheme for acquiring the farm lands. He would pay Rs. 40,000 per your per acre acquired to the owner farmer and give developed residential/ commercial plots of an area whose price is equal to the price of the farmland when it was acquired. Many farmers took the bait - Rs. 40,000/ year per acre surrendered, with no labour and no risk and the prospect of windfall gain when they sell the developed plots in the world class capital of Naidu’s dreams.
7. Chief Minister Naidu decided to locate the AP State’s High Court also in Amaravathi. This is in gross and cynical violation of the Sribaug pact between according to which , if the capital in Andhra area, the High Court should be in Rayalaseema. Andhra leaders honoured the gentlemen’s Sribaug Pact in 1954 (?) - capital was in Kurnool in Rayalaseema and High Court in Guntur, Andhra area . This break from the Sribaug pact is one reason why there is no support from the Rayalaseema people for the Amaravathi farmers’ agitation to retain the capital in Amaravathi.
8. In the 2019 elections, Chandranna’s TDP candidates including his son, were defeated by Jagananna’s YSRCP’s candidates in the capital region in the State. Jagananna won 251 and Chandranna won a mere 2.4 seats. The reason is the voters’ belief that besides what the capital would mean to them in future, they would now itself get the Nava Ratna gifts (large amounts of cash transfers from government treasury to private accounts of large sections of voters) from Jagananna. The voters’ belief of windfalls gains is belied by Jagananna’s decision to split the capital into three. The Executive capital in Visakhapatnam enthuses the people in the three poor ( as poor, if not more than Rayalaseema) districts of Srikakulam , Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam. That is why there is no visible support form these districts for the Amaravati region farmers’ agitation.
9. Who are the losers if AP’s capital is split into three? Firstly and most grievously, are the farmer families who parted with their farm lands in the Amaravati capital region. Is their loss real or national ? As long as they get Rs. 40,000 per year per acre surrendered, with no labour or anxiety ( like with crop failure) on their part (it is like pension), there is no loss to them except if inflation reduces the worth of Rs. 40,000 . They could rightly demand that the amount should be enhanced just as dearness allowance to government ( in service as well as pensioned) servants is increased.
The farmers’ hope that the (promised) allotment of developed plots would enhance their wealth is like that of investors who buy shares in the hope and promise of rise in share prices. They “gambled” in the futures . The expected gain would not come as the Amaravati share as capital would be miniscule. This is a loss in again. The farmers who parted with their land will be worse off, would be losers if the compensation of Rs. 40,000 per year per acre is discontinued and if continued, it is not increased to periodically to offset inflation and rise in farm land prices which is happening continuously.
9. There is another set of losers due to division of capital. Rich speculators bought farmers’ lands as benami “farmers”. As benami farmers, they are losers heavily. They are suspected to sustain the real farmers months- long agitation.
10. There is one interesting reason why support for continuance of undisintegrated capital could have come, but has not come. Chandranna called upon people of AP to contribute money for construction of the dream capital. The contributions were named Amaravati Bricks (just as Ayodhya Bricks for Ram Mandir) . Some tens of crores of rupees came from people from all districts. I suggested that Chandranna forthwith construct guest houses named after each district so that people coming to their capital city from the districts could rather inexpensively stay in their “own” guest houses in the capital. Chandranna did not care . Thus, peoples contributions lay unacknowledged, wasted. If those guest house came, the agitating farmers could be getting some sympathy and support for the “Save Amaravathi as Capital” agitation.
11. When he was the Chief Minister during 1995-2004, he was Chandra Babu Naidu but during 2014-19 he became Chandranna; ( Big Brother caring for the poor of AP. During the first period development was the over-riding agenda. During the second period, personal glorification preparatory to bequeathing party presidentship and Chief Ministership to his son ( only issue – so no sibling rivalry) transformed Chandra Babu into Chandranna - elder brother to the voters of A.P. He took to populism. He started distributing government money in his name - Chandranna Pasupu Kumkalu, Chandranna Kanukalu; Chandranna Beema (insurance) began paying salaries to Imams and Muezzins; funded construction of Urdu Ghars & Shadi Khanas; started building a Rs. 80 cr 12-storeyed Haj House in Vijayawada, gave Rs. 10 cr for the Tabligi conference in Kurnool in December 2018; enhanced government funding for construction of churches from Rs. 300,000 to Rs. 500,000; increased subsidy to Christians’ pilgrimage to Jerusalem from Rs. 25,000, Rs. 50,000 just before elections to Rs. 75,000 per person; gave land for a magnificent Christian House in Amaravati and promised funds to upgrade Mary Mata’s church in Vijayawada to be better than St.Peter’s in Vatican and all these, without giving rupee from government revenues to Hindu temples or Archakas.
12. Chandranna believed that because of transfer of government money in his name (Chandranna’s this and that) , his party would be invincible . Chandranna withheld payments to the extent of about Rs. 40,000 cr to contractors and suppliers so that he could shower cash on voters in the name of welfare. His make-believe greatness advertised that he was attracting Rs 35 lakh cr of investment into industries and businesses into AP and so millions of jobs would be created. Sure of his popularity and invincibility , he broke with the BJP dropping its two ministries from the cabinet in 2017 (?). He launched a dharma poratam, holy war against Modi with dharnas led by himself and his ministers in district town after town. He met with Mamata Banerjee , Kejriwal, Deve Gouda and his son and Stalin (DMK, Tamilnadu) to forge a Front to dislodge Modi . In alliance with Rahul Gandhi, he campaigned for Congress in elections to the Telangana Assembly in 2018. He bad-mouthed Modi ( and the BJP) , almost every day till his party’s rout in AP in the 2019 elections to Lok Sabha and the State Legislature.
The reason for the Union Government’s inaction and unconcern with Jagananna’s trifurcation of AP’s capital , abandonment of Amaravati’s development, leaving it merely as seat of legislature is Chandranna’s treachery to BJP and Prime Minister , Modi. The BJP’s response to Jagananna government’s move to abandon Amaravati’s development as full-fledged capital as per Chandranna’s dream is: “We are for Amaravati as capital. The Union government gave funds . Chandranna failed to build the capital”. This is no consolation of the affected people. Government of India’s money went into some constructions in Amaravati. Would it be infructuous or an inadequately beneficial investment?
13. Sri Chandranna whipped up another emotional issue to denounce the BJP. The Polavaram irrigation project on river Godavari would hugely benefit the poor north-east districts of A.P. It was conceived as Rampadsagar project in the 1930s by Sir S V Rama Murthy, an ICS officer of Madras province . It was never taken up even when Andhra (1953) and Andhra Pradesh (1956) were formed. Chief Minister T. Anjaiah (1980 Oct- Feb’82); laid the foundation stone in 1980; Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy laid it again in 2005. Kiran Kumar Reddy laid the third time in 2011 when the cost was estimated at Rs. 16,000cr . Chandranna laid the foundation stone the 4th time in Dec 2015. It is centrally funded but executed by the state of AP - a concession given to Chandranna as an ally of the BJP in the 2014 General Elections. Chandranna made the Polavaram project as grand and prestigious as the Amaravati capital project. He wanted to complete this ( now estimated cost of over Rs. 50,000 cr) project before 2019 elections, an impossible task, considering that the Nagarjuna Sagar project on river Krishna for which Nehru laid the foundation stone in early1960s was completed in the 1980s. Nationally funded and undertaken Bhakhra Nangal, Damodar Valley projects took a decade and more to complete. Chandranna accused the GOI of not releasing funds for speedy completion.
14. Yet another quarrel that Chandranna picked with the Central government and Sri Modi was about “ special status” to AP. This was a promise made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the debate on the bill for bifurcation of AP, and not a part of the Bill / Act. The Modi government offered a “special package” in lieu of “special status”. Sri Naidu accepted it and commended the “ special package” in the Assembly as more beneficial than special status,. But after break with the BJP, he raised the demand for “special status” and made it part of his Dharma Poratam ( holy war) rallies and Dharnas (sit outs) all over AP.
15. The Navaratna (nine diamonds) scheme of distribution of government money as charity in the personal name of the Chief Minister ( the practice initiated by Chandranna) is being extensively and intensively practised by the YSRCP Chief Minister , Jagananna since 2019. In the first year of his rule Rs. 41,000 cr were gifted to the poor. The “evil” deeds and decisions of Chandranna are being put an end to”, so asserts Jagananna “Capital Amaravati , the glittering and glamourous and fabulous project of Chandranna” was steeped in sin, in corruption . To make the people realise that Chandranna should never again be voted to power, what all he did in corruption must be undone”, Jagananna proclaims.
16. So Jagananna decided to divide the capital functionally into three – High Court in Kurnool, Rayalaseema ( so, keeping to Sri Baug Pact), executive offices comprising Ministries, Secretariat, Commissionerate’s, Departments , Directorates which constitute government at the highest level, in Visakhapatnam leaving only the Legislative Assembly and Council part of the State in Amaravati . This requires no more than a few scores of acres including those for MLA/MLC quarters /hostel. Which businesses, industries, institutions would come there and why? The “capital region” won’t develop . The expected rise in price for plots allotted to farmers whose lands were, acquired, won’t take place.
17. Would the annual payment of Rs. 40,000 per acre acquired (Rs. 120 cr /year) be in perpetuity; would it be indexed to inflation ? Could it be commuted? What purpose would the undeveloped vacant land serve? The farmers have no answers . That is their distress. Chandranna’s delusion that he and his son after him would rule for successive 5-year terms because of his fantabulous capital city, spectacular Polavaram irrigation project and inflow of 35 lakh crores of investment and through them, millions of jobs, has become the cause of Amaravati farmers’ distress.
18. The poor in the area including the farmers were enchanted by the charities , the Navarathnas (9 diamonds) promised by Jagananna and voted for him, defeating all the three Chandranna’s candidates including his son, the prospective successor. They are victims of rivalry between the two annas (Chandanna & Jagananna) and also of their own wish for wealth from the high-price for the developed plots they would get in the world’s grandest city of Chandranna’s conception. Their double belief that they would benefit from Chandranna’s Amaravathi city and Jagananna’s Navaratnas (money transfers) , led to their distress. The Chief Minister is appearing in a CBI court. The cases are dragging on. The BJP has no hope of ever coming to power on it’s own in AP (except as a miracle as in Tripura). That is why the Union government lead by it, seems to be a mere spectator of the duels between Chandra Babu and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Thinking people of AP are dismayed at the lack of economic and industrial and business development as tax and loan monies get spent on charity to keep the poor in painless life. Competitive populist policies of the politically ambitious regional party leaders in AP may “Biharify” Andhra Pradesh. Preya (temporary pleasure) is trumping Shreya (long term prosperity). (2750 words).
END