Political Diary

New Delhi, 11 October 2013

Andhra Split Wide Open

FROM FRYING PAN TO FIRE

By Poonam I Kaushish

From the frying pan into the fire resulting in a burning inferno.  This the tragic tale of Southern Andhra Pradesh which is in the throes of violence and strife, leaving the State crippled and paralyzed along-with four Union Ministers from Seemandhra having resigned. Thanks, to the Congress-led UPA II Government’s decision to go-ahead with the creation of India’s 29^th State Telengana. Camouflaged as imperative for “political stability” in the country (read Party).  Raising a moot point: Has it bitten off more than it can chew?  

Unlike the division of three States Bihar, UP and MP into Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh in 2000 which were smooth, this time the Congress hopes to reap electoral dividend in Poll 2014. In the three-way division of Andhra’s 42 Lok Sabha, the Party hopes to net a majority of 17 MP seats in Telengana, either alone or by tying-up with TRS and is reconciled to losing ground in Seemandhra with 17 seats.  Further, it would reduce YSR Congress Jagan Reddy’s clout in Rayalaseema.

Questionable, does the vote-bank calculus take precedence over all else? Above human life and livelihood of millions who live reside there? Why bring things to such a pass? Importantly, can perceived short terms gains play havoc over long term goals?  Answers to all these are: Yes.

If things don’t settle, the Congress game-pan is three-pronged, Impose President’s Rule to bypass the State Assembly’s Telengana ratification as recalcitrant anti-division MLAs refuse to play ball and get the Bill passed in Parliament’s winter session. It has the numbers as allies NCP, RLD and Opposition BJP back the decision as also BSP. Towards that end it has constitute a GoM (Group of Ministers) consisting of only Rajya Sabha netas who have never fought an election.  

Meanwhile, both Andhra regional satraps TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress’s Reddy are busy playing party-pooper by resorting to fasting tourism. Countered by the Congress hurling two letter bombs written by Naidu and Reddy to Home Minister Shinde and then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in 2012 and 2008 supporting Telengana’s formation.

Another bone of contention between the warring side is India's sixth-largest city Hyderabad home to over 1,300 IT and ITeS businesses. Under the new scheme of things Hyderabad will be the joint Capital for 10 years like Chandigarh is to Punjab and Haryana. But after 10 years what?

Seems the UPA has put the cart before the horse. It would have been better if the Centre had initiated moves to set up a new Capital for Seemandhra simultaneously.  Ensure say, 500 sq km of unencumbered land and build a shining new town. Also, work out a realistic arrangement on sharing river waters to specify water entitlements on a per capita or per hectare of land basis that would contain upper riparian highhandedness. Look at the ugly riparian fight between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Andhra and Tamil Nadu and Punjab and Haryana. 

More potently, the tragedy in their eagerness to wield unbridled power all players have lost sight of the bigger picture: Are small States better than big ones?  Indisputably, a few States are too large and unmanageable for competent governance. It takes nearly two days to get from Lucknow to Jhansi by road! Obviously, administrative efficiency is the first casualty. As showcased by small Haryana, Himachal, Chhattisgarh etc. 

But, champions of big States differ. There is no guarantee that it would not whet regional and separatist appetites and increase fissiparous tendencies specially with caste and creed dictating aaj ki rajniti’s  agenda whereby any fresh redrawing of the country’s map could give monstrous fillip to separatism by stoking smoldering fires of border disputes and cities.

Both Haryana and Punjab still want Chandigarh. Orissa demands the return of Saraikala and Kharsuan. Nagaland still wants to cut into certain forest areas of Assam to create Nagalim. Further, reinforcing that if smaller incisions have to be made as in the USA, then the body politic of India would need to be wholly restructured on that pattern.

A reality check showcases an ugly picture. Tiny Goa has had 18 Chief Ministers in 26 years and a Government lasted only 10 days in Meghalaya in 2008. Jharkhand has seen five Chief Ministers across three Assembly terms and been under President's Rule thrice. What guarantee that small would be a panacea for development, resource allocation and governance?

Besides, where the hell is the Centre going to get the money? With rising inflation, sky-rocketing prices, decreasing GDP, mounting deficit how will the Government finance Telengana. Authoritative sources aver that the new State would cost the national exchequer over Rs 1,500 crore. Entailing expenditure on setting up a new State capital, Assembly and Secretariat but excluding the annual recurring expenses. Already, Seemandhra leaders have demanded Rs 12,000 crore to develop administrative structure along-with an international airport, IIT, IIM, NIFT, AIIMS.

Indeed, now that it has once again reopened the Pandora’s Box of creating a new State, the Centre will be caught in a quagmire, difficult to extricate itself. Already, BSP’s Mayawati has sounded the bugle for Harit Pradesh out of Western UP, Bundelkhand and Purvanchal out of south-eastern UP.

NCP’s Pawar is rooting for Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Bodoland from Assam, Garoland from Meghalaya, Mithilanchal from North Bihar and Gorkhaland in West Bengal. Gondwana from portions of Chhattisgarh, Andhra and Madhya Pradesh, Kodagu in Karnataka’s coffee belt and Ladakh from Kashmir.

The tragic irony of history is that our netas are busy creating new States to feather their political nests and reap rich dividends at the cost of strong integrated India by carving out new jagirs for acquiring “new chelas” and assured vote banks. Forgetting, that quick-fix-solutions and populist policies may buy peace in the short term but pave the way for war in the long term. The very “black hole” that our past leaders were ever eager to avoid.

In the ultimate, the UPA Government needs to learn from the mistakes of the new carved small States, diagnose the disease afresh and hammer out solutions for better governance. Instead of buying time and win votes. Much can be achieved through meaningful decentralization of administration in these days of computerization, without adding to the cost of governance through top-heavy ministerial baggage.

Or the day is not far when India would resound to 562 princely States thereby nullifying Sardar Patel’s painstaking efforts to knit into the India fabric. If our polity continues its quest of partitioning existing States it could result in an India which would fit Jinnah’s classical description of Pakistan as being “truncated and moth-eaten”?

Our leaders have to realize that statesmanship and sagacity lie in adopting the middle path. And stop creating new pocket boroughs motivated by petty personal interests, undermining national unity. Else, RJD supremo Laloo Yadav’s remark over the creation of Jharkhand in 2000 will haunt India as never before. “Yeh madhumakhi ka chatha hai, chedho ge toh pashtaoh ge.  Time to stop this. Politics willing. ---- -INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)