The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister demonstrated his competence in his first tenure. But he lost because he didn’t reach out enough
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is in some ways a prototype for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Naidu talked of development, Information Technology, e-governance, foreign investment and the CEO model of administration in the 90s, and made Hyderabad a brand name for his achievements. He is no less a showman than Mr Modi, as was seen by his glittering oath-taking ceremony on Sunday.
Mr Naidu has come a long way from the backroom boy of his father-in-law and Telugu Desam Party founder NT Rama Rao. Although he started as a Congress MlA and a Minister in T Anjaiah’s Cabinet, he became a force to reckon with in NTR’s regime. In August 1995, Mr Naidu staged a coup against NTR in a bid to pre-empt NTR’s second wife, laxmi Parvathi, from wresting control of the party. He ruled as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1995 to 2004, unleashing a series of reforms, reducing food subsidies and raising power tariff. Mr Naidu saw the advantages of becoming a pioneer in the IT sector and was successful in attracting the IT giants like IBM, Oracle and Microsoft to invest in Hyderabad. He built a high-tech city with all modern amenities and an international airport in Hyderabad.
Mr Naidu was exposed to Delhi when the TDP supported non-Congress Governments including the National Front, the United Front and the NDA at the Centre. In 1996, when the United Front Government was sworn in at the Centre, he became the coalition’s convener, and played a key role in negotiations with the alliance partners.
After being in wilderness for a decade, Mr Naidu took the risk of combining with the BJP during the general election, this year, and came out with a landslide victory. Had YS Rajasekhara Reddy remained as Chief Minister he would have weakened the opposition parties in the State including the Telugu Desam Party and the TRS, and would not have allowed the bifurcation of the State. It is the wrong calculations of the Congress and its lack of vision which have enabled Mr Naidu as well as Telangana Chief Minister KC Rao to come to power.
The TDP, as an ally of the BJP in the Modi Government, has its own advantages. Nobody knows this better than Mr Naidu. When Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee patched together the NDA Government in October 1999, Mr Naidu stayed out of the Government because he wanted to bargain on economic matters for the benefit of Andhra Pradesh. He managed to get rice, money and investment benefits, as a fallout of every crisis Mr Vajpayee faced — be it the post-Godhra riots or the Tehelka expose. The TDP leaders privately call him the most successful political bargainer the country has seen.
But, now, Mr Naidu does not have the same status in Delhi as he has to contend with Mr Modi who is one notch above him in all the things he had excelled earlier. Mr Naidu is heading a truncated State which needs the Centre’s help in every respect. Moreover, the BJP has a majority of its own and doesn’t depend on the TDP.
The first challenge before Mr Naidu is to get adequate finance and a special package for the State. Since Telangana, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal too have demanded special status, how far Mr Naidu can succeed, is to be seen. The second challenge is to build a new capital and shift out of Hyderabad as soon as possible. This is not an easy task but Mr Naidu, with his showmanship, will try to achieve it.
The third is to ensure overall development for the State. He had committed the mistake of concentrating only on Hyderabad earlier. If he wants to avoid a demand for a separate Rayalaseema, he must make sure that there is overall development. The fourth is to find funds for the implementation of his poll promises. The fifth is to attract investment. There is a possibility of flight of capital from Hyderabad to Andhra Pradesh, as most of those who have invested in Hyderabad are from Andhra. Mr Naidu has already begun wooing foreign investors, promising them all the facilities and a single-window clearance for projects.
Mr Naidu must make use of the opportunities. Only time will tell how far he will succeed.