A long journey of 2817 km in 208 days around 16 districts, 86 Assembly constituencies, 702 public meeting and thousands of people is the mark of record in Teleugu Desam Party supremo Nara Chandra Babu Naidu political career.
This in a nutshell describes the historic 'Vathunna Meekosam padayatra' of Chandrababu Naidu. He earned the distinction of the longest-serving Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition and the longest-walking president of any political party in the State.
Iron will, steel resolve and unwavering determination defines Naidu. He was at the coalface to draw up a plan and a way forward for the party.
Plus, what else? Telugu Desam Party has a set of supporters and sympathisers. Ironically most of them are media-driven. While most of the vernacular media houses sing paeans to him for very obvious reasons, only Jaganmohan Reddy-owned media comes up with sarcasm and derision. And, a large chunk of English media in Andhra Pradesh tries to do a balancing act, deliberately staying away from presenting the factual situation. The English or national media, as one may call it, tries to act smart in the garb of presenting neutral report.
It is quite astonishing to find “had YS Rajasekhara Reddy been alive…” reports suggesting that it would have been a cakewalk for Chandrababu Naidu in 2014. What they missed out was that the Telugu Desam did not win even a single by-election in the last several years. On the other hand, many of its sitting MLAs slipped out of the party fold, mostly to the YSR Congress and a few to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
There were many defections after Chandrababu Naidu set out on his “vasthunna meekosam” padayatra too, the latest blow being the exit of Gangula Kamalakar, an MLA from Karimnagar district, who joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
When YSR was alive, he wasn’t very happy with the majority secured by the Congress in the Assembly elections. He openly admitted that the people gave “just pass marks” to his Government. For that reason, he embarked on a mission — Operation Akarsh — to attract legislators from other parties. He set his eyes on the “acquisition” of Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam. The Congress accomplished his dream, but it was done to counter the challenge posed by his son Jaganmohan Reddy. In fact, YSR targeted half the TDP legislators and half the MLAs from TRS.
The circumstances arose after his demise are all too well-known. So, it is surely a gamble to assess the situation in the event of YSR being around and that Naidu would have made it back to power without any effort. Things could have gone the way he wanted too, for he was one of the most powerful Congress leaders and Chief Ministers of his time.
Coming to Chandrababu Naidu’s ‘Vasthunna Mee Kosam’, the crowds, if taken as a benchmark, a relatively larger number of meetings addressed by YSR’s daughter Sharmila evoked greater turn outs than Naidu. If they would be able to translate the crowds into votes is a question raised by anybody, the June-12 by-elections would become a reference point, if not a benchmark.
The TDP’s rhetoric against the YSR Congress and the charges of corruption of YSR and his family could cut any ice with the public and this was proved with the rout of the TDP in the byelections held not too long ago. Naidu too hauled the YSR Congress over the coals invariably referring to corruption. Never did he miss out this point in his speeches.
The TDP drew up a time-table and unleashed a set of leaders to constantly nail the YSR family. During the padayatra, these leaders kept the party’s pot boiling, and, on most occasions, camouflaged the padayatra coverage with their high-decibel criticism of YS Jagan, repeatedly day-in and day-out.
Chandrababu Naidu, on his part, very successfully coined a nomenclature to refer to the Congress and the YSR Congress as thalli Congress and pilla Congress respectively. He mingled with numerous sections of people during his padayatra. He made Dosas, tea, tapped toddy, ironed clothes, cobbled chappals, drove a lorry, and donned scores of roles and posed for photographs.
Naidu for sure made an attempt to strike a sentimental and emotional chord with people. He announced several declarations — one each for minorities, BCs, SCs, STs, women, etc — and promised sops to communities beginning with Brahmins. Ironically, Naidu, who repeatedly claimed that the State witnessed an unbeatable development during his regime, did not venture to announce that he would bring back the same rule. This came in handy for the YSR Congress and the Congress point to challenge him.
Naidu went to the extent of apologising to government employees saying that he had troubled them when he was the Chief Minister, notwithstanding the fact that it was that very act was used by him for playing to the gallery. Most people, who have no connect with governance, people’s lives and needs of the hungry, ascribed the same acts to Naidu’s administrative acumen.
“At least, there was administration during his regime. He has done a lot for the development of Hyderabad.” This kind of superfluous and off-the-cuff remarks are heard very often. The same people very strongly criticise the free electricity to agriculture sector. Astonishingly, they don’t take seriously Naidu’s promise during padayatra that he would also give nine-hour free power to agriculture sector. They have a reason: Naidu, who promised to continue NTR’s mega pet schemes of Rs 2 a kg rice, total prohibition and Rs 50 per horsepower of electricity to agriculture sector during electioneering for 1996 Lok Sabha polls, were withdrawn soon after the elections.
He made numerous promises — waiver of agricultural loans, free power. deposit of Rd 25,000 to every girl child born, closure of belt shops of liquor (a concept which his government introduced during his regime), free rice if necessary, and a slew of others.
While several MLAs left the party during the padayatra, the biggest loss to the party was the untimely demise of one of its senior most leaders K Yerran Naidu in an unfortunate road accident. An MLA Ambati Brahmanaih (Avanigadda) passed away due to ill-health.
Two accidental falls — at Gadwal in Mahabubnagar district and Kolakalur in Guntur district; serious pains in legs and compulsive resting in Krishna district, conversion of the padayatra into evening walk dotted the long march. The biggest smudge he attracted purely by design is the Telugu Desam Party’s decision not to vote against the Kiran Kumar Reddy-Government during the no-confidence motion proposed by the TRS and the YSRC. This gave these two parties a stick to beat the TDP.
Aside from these, fissures from within the first family of the TDP surfaced once again. And the senior party leaders walked into the trap laid by the YSRC which played a mind game on the TDP by printing the photographs of film actor Jr NTR and the legendary NTR. When TDP-friendly media celebrated the exit of an insignificant leader from the YSR Congress in East Godavari district, NTR’s son Harikrishna turned tables against those blowing the TDP’s trumpet by launching fireworks against those who tried to attack his son Jr NTR.
Harikrishna’s rebuke in an oblique reference to his brother Balakrishna silenced the latter. Elections, if held as per schedule, are a year away.
The media owing allegiance to the TDP constantly tried to inject among the minds of the people that Naidu made a great sacrifice by taking to padayatra at an age of 63 years, despite ill-health and paining legs. They tried to portray the padayatra as if it is not for wresting power in the State. Would any politician, especially those at the helms in their respective parties that tasted the benefits of power, undertake any activity without setting his/her eyes on power?
Naidu used his yatra to shut the doors to Jr NTR and his impression that he was the heir-apparent and also to launch his son Lokesh. The Congress, if desirous of estimating the effect of the padayatras in the State, can immediately disqualify the defected MLAs and have by-elections conducted in those constituencies without any delay. That will help the Congress to embark on some damage control.
The master stroke was, however, given by Daggubati Purandeswari, daughter of the late NTR and Union Minister of State. She came up with the news that the petulant issue of installing NTR’s statue on the premises of the Parliament would take place on May 7. She expects here bete noire Naidu to ‘grace’ the occasion.
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