The Hindu Business Line : The succession drama in AP

By keeping the aam aadmi happy, it was YSR who became the hero of the masses and not the Congress Government at the Centre or even Andhra Pradesh. Hence, the colossal heartbreak and the uncontrolled grieving that followed YSR's sudden and tragic death at the peak of his career, says RASHEEDA BHAGAT.

The ‘make Jagan CM’ clamour.

The unsavoury “make Jagan CM” clamour that began in the Andhra Pradesh Congress even before the mortal remains of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy could be laid to rest is yet another reminder of the ugly facet of politics that is gaining currency in the democracy that all of us are so proud of.

YSR, as the dead late leader was popularly referred to in Andhra Pradesh, was able to effectively control factionalism and infighting within the Congress in recent years. But ambition and love for power and pelfdo not disappear easily. The speed with which Congress ministers and MLAs in Andhra revolted against the party high command’s decision to hand over interim administration in the State to Finance Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, tells the story of the iron hand with which YSR had kept down dissent and factionalism in the party.

To understand the unseemly and illogical demand that YSR’s son, Mr Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, a greenhorn in politics whose first term as an MLA from Kadapa has barely crossed 100 days, be made the chief minister of a State, we have to go back to the carefully-crafted political strategy and legacy of YSR.

YSR’s winning formula

With extreme political acumen and shrewd manoeuvring, YSR had, over his three decade career in politics, become invaluable to the Congress party, first by winning every election he contested from 1978 — either as an MLA or MP. Though he was close to Rajiv Gandhi, he was pushed to the background by the even more politically astute P. V. Narasimha Rao, who was catapulted to the prime minister’s chair in 1991 after the tragic death of Rajiv Gandhi.

Rao’s exit and Ms Sonia Gandhi taking charge of the Congress boosted YSR’s career and he emerged the Opposition Leader during the Telugu Desam government headed by Mr Chandrababu Naidu.

On the eve of the 2004 Lok Sabha and Andhra Assembly elections, he launched his massive padayatra around Andhra villages to directly reach out to the masses and expose the shortcomings of the Telugu Desam Party government that was ruling Andhra Pradesh then. That he managed to score a big victory in the 2004 Assembly elections, while also getting 29 MPs for the Congress, was proof that direct contact with the people at the grassroots level worked in a country where politicians visit rural areas only once in five years.

Money and muscle power

Over the next few years, YSR shrewdly fine-tuned a new political mantra — he would keep in direct touch with the people through massive ‘welfare programmes’ and subsidies which he would personally monitor. But elections can’t be won only on this single point. To be a convincing leader, particularly in a party such as the Congress, you have to be ruthless in stifling dissent. And, then, there is the fund-raising skill; there is no glossing over the fact that money — actually big money — is required to keep a political party going and to contest elections.

Money power and muscle power have become synonymous with Indian politics, particularly in States such as Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where the voters are known to give decisive mandates.

There are two ways for politicians to make mega bucks; either by siphoning off huge funds from development or welfare schemes or by granting state patronage to big business that is amenable to sharing the spoils with politicians in power. We also have that class of politicians who can milk both these avenues and pile up a fortune that can comfortably sustain generations of the ruling class.

Importance of aam aadmi

YSR was smart enough not to forget the lesson his padayatra taught him; ordinary people are willing to forget or forgive the corruption of politicians under the very convenient all-politicians-are-corrupt mantra, as long as their most basic needs are taken care of.

So even though YSR’s Congress in Andhra Pradesh set up a pipeline for funds to flow to run the party, , he kept the aam aadmi happy.

As YSR reiterated in his interview to Business Line on the eve of the 2009 elections, he had kept all the promises he had made to his people and was hence confident of retuning to power. While through the welfare scheme tap, money flowed to the farmer for irrigation projects, free power, NREGA work and drought relief, benefits also accrued to the minorities, women, and other disadvantaged sections of society.

Even more important, the Chief Minister himself periodically came calling on the doors of villagers to find out if the benefits had reached them. Can there be a better statement to acknowledge the otherwise insignificant aam aadmi’s importance?

the unprecedented suicides and heart attacks that followed his sudden and tragic death at the peak of his career.

As the media, along with the masses, grieved YSR’s untimely and violent death — he was a suave politician who presented his polite, soft-spoken and gentle persona to the media — and hailed him as a “grassroots” or “people’s” politician, some political observers in Andhra Pradesh were upset. Even this correspondent was asked: “How can the media gloss over his corruption and strong-arm tactics in silencing his critics?”

The simple answer is that in an era of all-pervasive corruption with the political classes, it is easy to be charitable to one who had time and State resources to spare for the disadvantaged, the discriminated and the downtrodden classes. The masses in Andhra Pradesh who grieved for their dead leader did not tabulate the acres of land or the wealth the YSR family had accumulated. Through their tears and misery they wondered if they would get another leader who had the time of day to spare for them. And the fact that he undertook his last dangerous journey on yet another people-contact programme, made the tragic loss even greater for them.

But there is another side of the story and another group of people who also mourn YSR’s passing away — the business lobby, the contractors who made mega deals with the government headed by him, and the legislators who were involved in these deals. It is certainly not in their interest to have a sudden and unforeseen churning in the centre of power.

Small wonder then that these groups have launched a deafening campaign for the anointment of Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy as Chief Minister. To them it doesn’t matter that he lacks the political or administrative experience to run a State. In fact, it would give some of the Congress leaders in the State the chance to rule by proxy or remote control.

The party high command has done well to put an end to the sorry plight of the interim Chief Minister, Mr Rosaiah, who was so publicly rejected and thus humiliated by his Cabinet colleagues. Other ministers have been sworn in again, as required by law and Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy has appealed for an end to the campaign demanding his anointment.

The Congress high command will do well not to get browbeaten by this emotional blackmail. YSR was an invaluable leader who put in a firm foundation for the Congress’ return to power after the canvas imposed on it by the TDP. He will be sorely missed in the 2014 election but the high expectations that the people of Andhra, particularly the poor and the downtrodden, had from him, and which were made more visible in his death than in his life, need to be met. And the worst way of doing this would be to pass the baton from the extremely experienced and capable father to the inexperienced son, who is yet to prove himself.

Already voices in Delhi are asking: “If Rahul Gandhi can wait, why not Jagan Mohan Reddy?”!

(Response may be sent to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in and blfeedback@thehindu.co.in)

More Stories on : Politics | Andhra Pradesh | Rasheeda Bhagat

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Consumer as growth engine

The succession drama in AP

Services exports in developing Asia

Alumni's role

Forget them not