A decade which ushered in new friendships politically, gave birth to new leaders and ideologies which became mass movements, also has been a decade that has witnessed some of the most crooked ways in which politics is practised in our country. With 10 year challenge ruling the social media currently, I have decided to do a #10YearChallenge in Telugu Politics. The change is massive, equations are different and voter mindsets have changed!
Between 2009 and 2019
If one considers the political situation during which united Andhra Pradesh went to elections, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which lost power in 2004 to the Congress, tried its best to come back to power in 2009. During the 2009 elections, Telugu Desam Party chose to partner with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Left Parties forming the Mahakutami to win the election.
Amidst this, a party founded by film actor Chiranjeevi – Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) also contested the elections along with LokSatta in 2009. During that time, Pawan Kalyan who is Chiranjeevi’s younger brother campaigned or the party. However, the Mahakutami alliance did not bear fruit while the PRP & Loksatta were successful in splitting TDP’s vote bank which helped the Congress win the second-term too, led by Y.S Rajasekhar Reddy as the Chief Minister.
After Y.S Rajasekhar Reddy took over as the Chief Minister for the 2nd time, he passed away within 5 months after a deadly chopper crash. His death costed the people of Telugu states their peace as it breathed life into the Telangana movement and gave immense strength to TRS Chief K. Chandrasekhara Rao who until then was subverted by Y.S Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR).
While the Telangana movement became a fight for a separate state, it also gave YSR’s son Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy an opportunity to enter politics to represent his father and fulfil his political ambitions. Jagan fell out with the Congress Party and founded Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP). This was also Jagan’s journey to test political waters as he had supported a United Andhra movement despite a massive uproar and demand over the creation of a separate Telangana state. In such a scenario, Chiranjeevi decided to merge his Praja Rajyam Party into the Congress.
While the Telugu Desam Party was demanding justice to both AP and Telangana if the Congress had decided to divide the state, another party resonated with the youth – Jana Sena Party (JSP), founded by film actor Pawan Kalyan. His entry into politics was surrounded by fanfare and hype while his political ambitions (paused due to Praja Rajyam) took flight. As a pre-poll strategy, TDP decided to have an alliance with the BJP, extremely angry over the gross injustice done to Andhra Pradesh by the Congress Party. So, TDP chose to support BJP at the Centre and became an NDA partner for the second time by supporting Narendra Modi’s candidature for the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, Jana Sena helped both TDP and BJP by campaigning for them in the state but it did not contest in the 2014 elections. In this scenario, Congress lost its face in Andhra Pradesh while it had some presence in Telangana post division. The bifurcation became an emotional issue for Telugu people as it divided them permanently into two states. Adding to this was an anti-Andhra sentiment that fanned violence in Telangana while the TRS succeeded in projecting TDP as an “Andhra Party.”
The vitriolic attacks by Telangana leaders on Seemandhra leaders and political parties unfortunately turned the relations between the two states bitter. Even the Chief Ministers of both Telugu States, N. Chandrababu Naidu and K. Chandrasekhara Rao, began turning against each other. In the meantime, the TDP broke off its ties with the BJP and walked out of NDA, alleging that the Centre has not fulfilled promises done to Andhra Pradesh in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. In Andhra Pradesh, Jana Sena Party run by Pawan Kalyan turned against the TDP. Soon after, Chandrababu was not only fighting his political rivals in the state but also with the Union Government ruled by the BJP – with the Prime Minister.
As this bitterness continued politically, TDP buried its rivalry with the Congress which it had opposed for 40 years and struck a new friendship with the party at the national level and in Telangana Assembly Elections. This also marked the beginning of an anti-BJP front at the Centre led by Chandrababu. Additionally, this friendship also sowed the seeds of hate between the two Chief Ministers who took the battle personally. Meanwhile, the partnership of the TDP, Congress, Telangana Jana Samithi and Left Parties in Telangana elections made TRS angry after which KCR started off his slew of bitter attacks on AP Chief Minister and abused him publicly, raking up the Telangana sentiment.
However, TRS won the elections while the alliance of parties against the Pink Party was decimated. While TDP had to face a drubbing in Telangana and be content with just two seats, KCR threw a jibe that he will give a return gift to Chandrababu in AP elections (due this year). Reflecting his confidence after a thumping victory, KCR floated the idea of a Federal Front where states and regional parties will have a greater representation.
In this direction, Jaganmohan Reddy of YSRCP had evinced interest in KCR’s Federal Front after which both TRS and YSRCP decided to meet and partner. Jagan, who had vehemently opposed the TRS and supported the idea of united AP, joined hands with TRS to work against a common enemy – Chandrababu Naidu. While both the Telugu States’ CMs are vying to play a decisive role at the Centre, they have turned from friends to foes within 10 years. And, Jagan and KCR who were foes turned friends.
So, the #10YearChallenge of Telugu Politics clearly establishes the fact that “there are no permanent enemies in politics” and that equations and ideologies can change overnight in the thirst for power. In conclusion, let us hope that there will be peace between the two Telugu States.
(This post was first published on Gulte)
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