Chandrababu Naidu has a proven track record of governance, but the new Chief Minister of Telangana has to prove his mettle
Telangana has finally become a reality and the 29th State of the Indian Union. So, what’s nextIJ The political parties which fought for a separate Telangana are gloating over their success, but the way ahead is not only full of challenges but also of opportunities. Rather than ruminate over the past, both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana should work out their future as friendly neighbouring States. The fact that both the Chief Ministers have won a handsome majority to lead stable Governments is a good omen.
The first Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandra-sekhar Rao took oath amidst euphoria and celebrations on June 2 and promised implementation of his party’s poll promises. The million-dollar question is: Will Mr Rao be able to deliver and meet the huge expectations he has aroused in recent monthsIJ
With a population of over 3.5 crore, the new State comprising mostly the areas of the princely Nizam State has 17 lok Sabha seats and 119 Assembly seats. Of the 10 districts which form the Telangana region, except for Hyderabad almost all are backward and mostly rural as compared to the Seemandhra region which has ports, a long coastline, lush paddy fields and cash crops besides developed cities like Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada where the people are more enterprising than Telangana.
Telangana is undergoing the birth pangs accompanying a new State. Hyderabad, designated as the common capital, poses a problem as there might to be friction between the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governments, which will share the Secretariat and Assembly buildings.
The second challenge is the formation of the new Telangana Cabinet. Already murmurs are being heard that one-fourth of the Cabinet is from the Chief Minister’s family; his son and nephew have become Ministers. The third is to get special financial assistance from the Centre. Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted and assured all assistance, Telangana is a revenue-surplus State. Mr Modi has to do the balancing act in allocation of resources. The spurning of an alliance with the Congress and eagerness to work with the NDA may go in favour of the TRS.
Another problem is the sharing of water and power between the two States. Though the two perennial rivers — Krishna and Godavari — pass through the Telangana region, water will have to be pumped for irrigation purposes. Most of the agricultural land is rain-fed. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wants the Centre to initiate discussions with Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana to create a Polavaram Project Authority and constitute the Krishna, Godavari and Tungabhadra River Water Boards.
A leader in cotton and maize, Telangana will require large quantity of water in a sustained manner. The problem gets tougher as water woes may plunge the State into a power-deficit situation. Though Telangana gets an allocation of 53 per cent of all power produced (in the combined State), it would still become a power-starved State.
All eyes will be on developing the other nine districts in the new State. The people want all 10 districts to be like Hyderabad and it may take a lot of political will and finances to do this. Sectors like health, power, education, industry and irrigation need to be prioritised.
Containing the Red terror in the region is another issue that needs to be dealt with. Given the lack of development, Telangana has served as a fertile ground for the Maoists.
Providing jobs is going to be a major challenge as the students of Osmania University and other institutions took an active part in the movement for a separate Telangana State, and their expectations are very high. While Hyderabad is a major industrial hub, the neighbouring areas got no benefit. The focus should be on the manufacturing and small-scale sectors to create employment. The real estate and infrastructure sectors, which have been in the dumps, too are expecting a fillip.
However, the biggest worry for both Mr Rao and Mr Naidu is to live up to their poll promises. Among the first files they will be signing off is waiving off farm loans. This involves a whopping figure of Rs1.37 lakh crore of which Andhra Pradesh accounts for Rs87,600 crore and Telangana Rs49,564 crore.
While Mr Naidu has a proven track-record, having served as Chief Minister, the jury is out to judge KCR. He will be judged by his performance. The people have voted for a change. It remains to be seen if the new Chief Minister is up to the task.