CMs of AP and Telangana need to build trust
Instead of bickering over issues and threatening each other, the Chiefs Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana must sit together as mature responsible politicians and resolve whatever differences exist. This is the least that they can do for their respective States and the people who voted in their Governments with clear majorities and soaring hopes. Both Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will be accused of betraying their voters in case they fail to shed their hostility towards each other. There is no doubting that both these leaders are well-intentioned and committed to the welfare of their respective States. They need to realise that the friction between them will not just hamper developmental work in their States but also percolate down to the people, in the form of distrust, bitterness and even some forms of violence — though one must hope that things will not come to such a pass.
The current face-off between Messrs Naidu and Rao has its roots in the cash-for-votes scandal that erupted less than a fortnight ago. On May 31, the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested Telugu Desam Party MlA A Revanth Reddy in the alleged act of bribing another Assembly member, nominated Anglo-Indian MlA Elvis Stephenson, so as to secure his support for a TDP candidate in the June 1 legislative Council election. At that time, Mr Reddy was also heard referring to his “big boss”, which is being interpreted as a reference to Mr Naidu, the TDP chief. later, an audio recording surfaced in which Mr Naidu was purportedly heard assuring Mr Stephenson of all support. This sparked a new controversy, with Mr Naidu accusing Mr Rao and his Government of illegal wire-tapping in their joint capital of Hyderabad.
Both sides have denied all charges and the matter is currently under investigation. It is safe to assume that it’ll be a while before we hear the last word on either the cash-for-vote or wire-tapping allegations. In the meantime, it should be underlined that the bad blood, which now flows between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, was first spilled by the Congress, when it mismanaged the Telangana movement and fumbled through the bifurcation process. But what has been done cannot be undone, and today’s leaders need to focus on building a better future while letting old wounds heal.
Mr Naidu has sought the intervention of the Union Government in this matter and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Central leaders on Wednesday. Perhaps, the latter will be able to bring both parties together and counsel them to work together. But in the long term, the two leaders will have to sort it out on their own — not just at the Government-to-Government level but also at the people-to-people level. After all, it was only a year ago that Telangana was part of Andhra Pradesh. And the populations of the two States still share a common history and heritage.