Dynamics of Andhra Pradesh Politics

The results of recent bye elections to 17 assembly and one Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh have been analyzed by various functionaries and columnists of different hues to conclude that the YSR spirit is very much present in the state. No one has pointed out at what cost the spirit is kept alive through political activity and 24 hours media bashing. It is also strange to find that the memory of a departed leader is being used two years after his death. The ruling dispensation patted themselves with explanations like the sympathy wave, that late YSR wife and daughter gained through campaign while Jagan Reddy was kept in Jail, was only confined to Rayalaseema and a few other pockets. The winners have claimed that it was all due to trust of the people in the good and people oriented work done by YSR and Jagan Reddy. Now everyone is waiting for the Presidential polls to end so that something could be done to the state politics. In the meanwhile, politicians of all categories in the Congress party seemed confusing the national leaders with their explanations, keeping each groups agenda behind.

It seems there is some kind of a structural change in the state during the last one decade that is reflecting on the state politics. The YSR factor or the Reddy consolidation and the TDP volatility in the background of Kamma functional approach at the emergence of Kapu power, appear to be playing as an undercurrent of the present politics. But, none of the three identified social formations would decide the results of any elections in the state without support from other social groups like S.Cs (Mala and Madiga) OBCs, Muslims with different regional patterns. A new dimension of sub regional consolidation in Telangana with several weaknesses within including the Velama identity is also playing an important factor to be taken in to consideration for a systematic study. As in the neighboring Karnataka state, caste plays an important role in Andhra politics. The intellectuals sitting in Delhi (as one set spread in different camps) formulate theories in a way that their hegemony continues in politics and governance. The Telugu Desam Party under the leadership of NTR came to power in the state when the Congress party under the Reddys have neglected the needs of the people and quarreled among themselves. NTR has used the space with his welfare slogans and brought the OBCs under his umbrella to gain political mileage. ChandraBabu Naidu kept the group intact with his penchant for reforms initiated by PV NarasimhaRao . This has facilitated the Kammas, a small caste localized in few districts of coastal Andhra to emerge as Naidu helped them to become industrialists and business men through contracts and contacts. They have completely used the Hyderabad city as a centre of their economic power and most of the real estate is still under their control. Thus, Reddys in Congress lost their hold particularly in Hyderabad city where Telangana Reddys have been used only for political gains in terms of their number and nothing beyond that perceived to have happened to them.

The omnipresence of the Reddys is achieved through their consolidation under one political party overlooking their regional variations. The Rayalaseema Reddy and Telangana Reddy had no contacts before the state formation in 1956. N.Sanjiva Reddy and thereafter several Reddys got their flock together to dictate politics in Andhra, at one stage national politics through Reddy congress. But, their hegemony vanished with TDP, though Chandra babu Naidu kept some of the Reddys in good humor. The economic liberalization has created opportunities in the state and raised hopes among castes like Kapus who are not a single group, but aspired to share power got united under the film star Chiranjeevi. YS Rajaskhar Reddy as a leader from Rayalaseema knew the techniques of factional politics and kept his henchmen with Chiranjeevi ultimately to break the formation. As the desire to enter politics for economic gains is fueling the different groups of Kapus of the four regions, the fact remains that they are not a homogenous group and have problems with local social clusters. Though the number is substantially higher than Reddy or Kamma castes, they are not united and may be they are heading for splits like the one created by TDP Naidu among the Dalits in Andhra as Mala and Madiga. Interestingly, Andhra politics including the left parties are under the control of these caste groupings with some sophistication unlike in U.P and Bihar. What lies behind all these formations is the desire to get more economic opportunities for themselves and their cronies. The YSR model of politics is a very interesting one to observe as he has brought all the Rddys under one formation and created opportunities of spoils for others to attach to him. The emergence of Velama doras, a tiny caste of landlords through the machinations of KVPRamachandraRao, the shadow of YSR in developing networks of economic and political blocks with pure economic interests to jump to any political alliance, is a very fascinating phenomenon in Andhra politics. The economic opportunities of huge investments with the support of the state has allowed the emergence of characters like T.subbaramiReddy, K V P RamchanraRao, Lagadapati Rajagopal, Kavuri sambasivaRao, Nama Nageswrarao, Ramesh, K.chandrasekharaRao, Y.S. JaganMohanReddy and a few others as pure economic interest groups who share their political power for economic opportunities. YSR has realized the importance of these networks and developed his own political game. Interestingly, the central leadership has given him autonomy to emerge as a giant leader without any control unlike in Maharastra where the emergence of Marthas is constantly checked. This seems to be one of the serious flaws in the democratic culture of the Congress party that led to YSR legitimacy ultimately to create the present impasse in Andhra. The YSR phenomenon is nothing but sheer egocentric factional mind set with modern techniques of cronyism. He has introduced a budget based on welfare programmes , of course some of them were copied from centre, keeping the electoral politics in mind without any regard for the future of the state. It was his mastermind may be native intelligence gained from Rayalaseema culture, to make the resources of the state particularly real estate, contracts etc

for patronage with ruthless proportions through sponsoring projects to his henchmen as agents to make money. This process is called by the CBI as quid- pro- quo. This has helped him to get political agents in every district irrespective of the region. He was little careful in selecting the agents with lions share given to Reddys and representative share to each important caste to carry his agenda and business. The independence given to him by the high command permitted him to consolidate this formation with political share as MLA/MLC/MP candidates to contest elections. One very interesting thing that is not explained by experts is that none of his political representatives depended on the leakages of the welfare programmes like old age pension, arogyasri, fees reimbursement etc that are institutionalized by YSR. In fact, most of his representatives facilitated and helped to get these benefits reach the poor in the name of Rajanna rajyam. It was not necessary for his agents to crave for pittance and lose his patronage to forego millions of rupees. In fact they have sincerely popularized the programmes in the name of YSR, not necessarily Congress party to get YSR help for their self development. This is one of the reasons for the tremendous success of his welfare schemes without any leakages. YSR has added another dimension to the schemes in costal districts where most of the dalits are Christian converts and by sending messages that he and his son- in-law are great evangelists and perhaps protected church properties of some individuals to make them remain loyal to him and take his message as gospel truth. This made some of the double standard dalit leaders of the region redundant and YSR became their savior. It is the minimum critical group of dalit converts and some lumpen elements who have been receiving crumbs from the local agents of YSR when he was alive and transferred their loyalty automatically to Jagan Reddy after his death. It is alleged that it is limited to few districts in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. Jagan has continued his fathers legacy of patronage and contact with local leaders in the name of ODARPUYATRA. Interestingly, none of the present congress leaders has ever dare to question this trend when jagan was in the party and continued to remain silent even after he left congress. The Reddy cluster with strong family bondage has kept the hegemony of YSR within the existing congress and also in Jagan congress. The emerging scenario appears to be little complex in terms of the traditional political analysis. But, the interest groups rather than the political party politics has emerged in Andhra during YSR would continue as long as the high command does not take serious view and punitive action to send a clear message that the Party and high command are seriously concerned to get results in elections. There is a striking phenomenon in the state, may be in the country that the young people in the age group of 18 plus, the voters are different from the previous generation. They are intelligent but are carried away by media propaganda and icons artificially created like that of YSRJagan Reddy or Chiranjeevi etc. It is this group that is captured by the YSR party with the tacit support of Reddy community that has decided long back that they would go with Jagan as he is their future hope. If we are to trust some of the rumour mills even KiranKumarReddy CM, is under pressure from Reddy leaders, to facilitate Jagan to emerge

as a future CM. The argument that why should he risk his position do not stand before caste logic that any way Jagan will become the CM and he will extend the same economic benefits to his brothers and family members as if he were in power seems working. That is the tacit understanding of every Reddy group in whichever party they may sail now. Even the issue of Telangana is being complicated because of the Reddy element as politicians like Jayapal Reddy and the ilk are not willing to lose caste power for the sake of a region that may reduce or decimate Reddydom in Andhra. The same is the logic of Kammas as the division would reduce their support base in Khammam and Nizamabad of Telangana. The kapus seem to have no stake in it as they are equally spread in all the regions with different names of Kapu like Munnuru kapu etc. But the emergence of Kapus as a political force is not tolerated by other BC castes and dalits in different regions due to their bad human relations with others. Chiranjivi and his group seem to have not realized this nor tried to work on models to woo others at least to minimize the damage. Chandra Babu Naiidu lost his credibility not because he is not a leader and a political strategist, but of his past economic reforms that he copied from Congress. YSR has intelligently followed his own techniques to camouflage the real exploitation of public resources for private benefit through his welfare schemes. If the Congress party continues with its reform agenda that has created terrible corruption and emergence of characters like YSR, people do not tolerate any more as seen in the recent elections where Jagan group has successfully directed slogans against the Congress for lack of electricity, agricultural woes, and non payment of fees reimbursement etc due to the failure of administration and lack of control by Kirankumar Reddy. Though communists on their own may not damage congress in electoral politics, but their struggles along with the BJP backed Anna movement against corruption created some kind of doubt in the minds of the common man. Interestingly, the Jagan media and Reddy intellectuals have started an interesting campaign, WHO IS NOT CORRUPT? This is to shield Jagan from the image of a corrupt legacy of YSR. The common man is believed to have been convinced that all politicians are making money, but YSR has given some benefits and now his son is promising that he will continue and raise the amount of benefits. Therefore, let us wait and see how this young man despite of victimization dares to challenge a mighty power in Delhi, should be given an opportunity to rule. There were also comparisons that if Madam Sonia is able to promote her son Rahul for Prime Minister Ship, Why not Jagan a worthy son of YSR in the same age group are not fit for the post of CM. It is not only the rural youth but also a small proportion of urban youth through the media and IT boost up is upholding this conviction. The great debacle in Andhra appears to be due to lack of supervision and reliance on some individuals who became corrupt through money bags of YSR and Jagan and through the modus operandi of business clique noted above. It is found that no leader has ever said anything about the welfare schemes of YSR as most of them were central sponsored schemes

with local names. It was systematically planned that everywhere YSR name and his schemes were discussed as his own without referring to the Congress party for a longtime till the elections. Now there seem to be some realization that the party should avoid using his name .It is too late, nevertheless it is necessary to develop alternatives to counter the propaganda with actual data and information from central government and similar schemes used in other Congress ruled states to show that the schemes were not unique to YSR. The party seems to hesitate to name the corrupt as it has misgivings that it may reflect on the party. This is not correct. If people are convinced that the party was always against the corrupt but YSR protected them till the reality came out through CBI, it is likely people will be convinced. There is a gossip about keeping KVP out of focus and naming YSR as the culprit is not credible move and people believe that this is all a political game. It is observed that the present leaders including the CM are heavily relying on the media coverage and sponsored propaganda. This will be a counterproductive if too much publicity is given on schemes and no benefit reaches the common man in the villages then, they think this is all humbug compared to YSR where they could get some real crumbs. The TDP is paranoid due to the fact it has lost its base in Kamma districts and OBCs in Telangana due to the sentiment. It is now trying to regain its base among the OBCs and dalits with its old tactics of wooing them with divisive politics. This may not pay in the long run if the kammas do not shift. But, the group is very pragmatic and can do whatever that would bring them economic benefits as seen from the CBI case against Jagan that comprise of kammas as the major beneficiaries. The real problem with the Congress party in the state is that no one is sure about the future course of action and is waiting for an opportunity to jump. Every politician including the sitting ministers have made sure that a berth for the family is reserved in Jagan party by sending their children or siblings to participate in ODARPUYATRA and also during recent elections. There is no party functionary who is constantly in touch with common people and listens to their grievances while Jagan has reached out every household that mattered. Have the party functionaries and the ministers who are yielding power now ever bothered to instill confidence in the party cadres? The slogan that the distribution of nominated posts would bring dynamism in the cadres clearly shows the opportunistic agenda. Where is the guarantee that the nominated leaders would not ditch the party at the last minute as the present situation unfolds (if some ministers and congress leaders siblings are going with Jagan is an indicator). The future of the party in Andhra depends upon the strengthening of the loyal cadres and developing confidence in them. It is also necessary to build up the so called traditional vote banks among the secular groups like dalits, Muslims, OBCs and the poor. It is necessary to decide the issue of Telangana on political expediency rather than led away by the vested interests that are looking at the economic opportunities rather than the future of Congress

party. It is necessary to organize the party at the local level with responsibilities given to the youth to lead. The present party leaders belong to different generation and are not able to accommodate and connect with the emerging forces from diverse social groups and youth. A study may be conducted to identify the potential congress sympathizers and the traditional followers of congress party who have drifted due to apathy and neglect of the local party bosses. A strong message that those who are loyal to the party (but not opportunistic elements with secrete connections with the opponents) will be patronized and promoted should be sent immediately across the cadres. It is not too late to regain the strength with creative and modern and out of box approach to the situation in Andhra Pradesh.

-Study Group on Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad