Centre’s Step-motherly Love: AP BJP Leaders Gupchup!

The BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh are caught in a tricky situation. Neither are they able to fault the BJP leaders at the Centre for the step-motherly love being shown towards the state nor are they able to oppose their counterparts in the public.

Since the Union Budget was tabled in the Parliament, the BJP leaders in the state remained conspicuous by staying away from the media as Andhra Pradesh was shown an empty hand and they had no face to show to the people. Even while the AP BJP leaders are trying to overcome this inconvenient situation, the Centre announced its intent to privatise the Vizag Steel Plant and also that there is no time frame to sanction the Vizag railway zone.

There are doubts that the BJP-led NDA government is granting funds to states or giving permissions for projects only if it feels it would benefit from it. There is a feeling that even VSP is being privatised for the Centre’s benefit.

The central government has decided to withdraw its stake in VSP and sell it to private companies. On knowing about the government’s plan, the employees and workers unions have been on the warpath. Political parties and people’s organisations have also been extending support to the VSP employees. In the next couple of days, general public are also likely to hit the roads.

Coming to the Visakha railway zone, the Union minister said that there was no certainty about when the process would be initiated. In fact, the Centre has no interest in carving out the railway zone with Visakhapatnam as the headquarters even when it is one of the promises made to the state in AP Reorganisation Act, prepared during the UPA regime.

The public in the state feel that Modi has not been showing any interest in granting special funds, special category status, special railway zone to Andhra Pradesh as it would not benefit the BJP politically.

In the Budget presented in the beginning of this month, Metro rail projects in Kerala, Chennai and Bengaluru were granted crores of rupees, in view of the Tamil Nadu and Kerala Assembly elections to be held this year. The funds were sanctioned only to show their love for the states and boast about it during the election campaigning.

The public in those states should not be surprised if the funds are not released when the BJP fails to secure power in those states. Funds were released for the Bengaluru Metro because it is the BJP which is in ruling in that state.

When the BJP leaders themselves have received a shock with the central government’s attitude, one can think about the pathetic condition of the party’s ally Jana Sena being led by Pawan Kalyan.