Onus on central government to keep its promises
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s trip to Delhi has had political circles abuzz in Andhra Pradesh, with his supporters and opponents sparring over its purpose, in particular his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The official agenda this time was not much different from his earlier visits. There were the regular requests for approvals, whether for the Polavaram irrigation project’s revised cost estimates, shifting the High Court to Kurnool or disbursal of dues. Not to forget, the demand for special status to the state, besides other pending promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, such as the establishment of a petrochemical complex in Kakinada.
The question that arises every time the chief minister goes to Delhi is, why should the state be begging forever for what is its right? Especially since most of the items on his list are part of the Reorganisation Act. Take for instance the petrochemical complex. The rider that the state should bear the viability funding gap of close to Rs 1,000 crore for 15 years wasn’t specifically mentioned in the Act. It is understandable that the Centre might drag its feet on shifting the High Court to Kurnool as it could require judicial consent. The funding for Polavaram too has become a knotty problem with the project cost escalating over the years to more than Rs 55,000 crore. The onus is surely on the Centre to expedite approvals and find amicable solutions without burdening the state. More so in the case of Polavaram as there is every possibility of the project getting caught up in a vicious circle of delays and cost escalation. Special status for the state is now just a political issue. There is no way the Centre is going to grant it as it was not part of the Reorganisation Act in the first place.
As for the political aspect of the chief minister’s visit, it is believed he could have raised the issue of a ‘well-planned conspiracy’ to destabilise his government and sought Shah’s support. The ruling YSRCP is convinced there is one. Well, politics is, after all, a cloak-and-dagger game where nothing is what it seems.