Critics question Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu’s silence on the Special Category Status (SCS) issue. Once a vocal advocate, Naidu’s recent reticence raises concerns about his stance and commitment to securing SCS for the state. Speculations abound over political calculations and alliances influencing his position on this crucial matter.
Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has re-opened the issue of granting Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh, even though Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu remains silent, despite the enormous weight his Telugu Desam Party wields as a crucial ally, without whose support the Central government could fall. Many are perplexed that CM Naidu is not pushing for SCS.
The Fifth Finance Commission in 1969 introduced the concept of the SCS to address development needs and challenges faced by some states because of their unique geographical or demographic traits – states with hilly terrain, high proportion of marginalized communities or poor infrastructure, for instance. The grant of such a status allows states preferential allocation of Central funds, special subsidies, tax breaks and assistance in infrastructure development.
At the all-party meeting in New Delhi on Sunday, July 21, ahead of the commencement of the Budget Session of Parliament, YSRCP demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. The TDP maintained a stoic silence, even though the other crucial partner in the National Democratic Alliance, CM Nitish Kumar of Bihar, sought such status for his state. On Monday, the Centre rejected the demand from Bihar, citing that such status could not be granted, based on the report of the Inter-Ministerial Group in 2012.
Congress questions Naidu
On Sunday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wondered why Naidu was silent on this matter, when the Bihar chief minister had made the demand. With 16 MPs, the support of the TDP is crucial to the NDA government at the Centre, and CM Naidu is well placed to make such a demand.
As Naidu is faced with the daunting task of rebuilding Andhra Pradesh, special category status would be a great help. The CAG report of 2022-23 noted that the state government had availed overdraft from the RBI for 152 days, amounting to ₹57,066 crore. With state finances in a mess, SCS would come as a much-needed stimulus.
After Naidu took over as chief minister after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, he remained close to the ruling dispensation at the Centre until 2018, when he parted ways ahead of the assembly and Lok Sabha polls in 2019. One of the top reasons cited for pulling out of the ruling alliance at the Centre was the fact that Andhra Pradesh had not been granted SCS.
Then Union finance minister, Arun Jaitley had promised funds equivalent to the SCS, and argued that the nomenclature of SCS had been done away with, and now applied only to hill states and states in the northeast. Naidu had then agreed, preferring the path of conciliation to confrontation.
What happenned during bifurcation?
At the time of bifurcation, Andhra had lost a great deal; the state was left without a capital city, and things had to begin again from scratch. After the bifurcation, Hyderabad was to serve as joint capital to both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for 10 years, but it was hard for Naidu to operate from there, with then Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao bearing down on him.
In March 2018, Naidu withdrew from the ruling alliance at the Centre, and the TDP was to strike out on its own. Jagan Mohan Reddy then stole the march over him, raising the SCS demand. To outsmart Jagan Mohan Reddy, Naidu launched an all-out war on the BJP, delivering high decibel speeches at huge public meetings across the state, targeting PM Narendra Modi.
Actor-politician N Balakrishna, whose daughter Nara Brahmani is Naidu’s daughter-in-law, even spoke in Hindi criticizing Modi. Even so, Naidu lost the 2019 assembly polls to YSRCP ignominiously. Among the reasons for his loss was his stance on SCS – he claimed it was not necessary for four years, and suddenly made an about-turn, asserting that it was badly needed. That eroded his credibility.
After Naidu left Narendra Modi’s company, Jagan Mohan Reddy’ game-plan became evident; he became closer to the BJP, though not very openly so for fear of losing Muslim voters, who were perceived to have moved to YSRCP after the Congress died a natural death in the state for committing the “sin” of dividing the state. Jagan Mohan Reddy scored a scorching victory over Naidu in the 2019 elections.
During the next Assembly elections
After five years, a chastened Naidu saw that he needed allies to emerge stronger in the electoral battle. Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, who currently serves as deputy chief minister, backed Naidu and played a part in helping him return to the NDA fold. The alliance has proved fortuitous, and Naidu returned to power with a huge electoral victory. Naidu now wields much power, since the government at the Centre is dependent on the support of his party to stay in power, given the BJP did not win a simple majority on its own in 2024.
Naidu-watchers are not having such a tough time guessing at his reticence – the elephant in the room is the chief minister’s son, Nara Lokesh. TDP sources say Naidu does not expect to remain in active politics at the end of his current term as chief minister. He is 74, and realizes that it will come time to pass the baton. He has been grooming his son, who currently is MLA representing Mangalgiri constituency. Nara Lokesh has come a long way since his first entry into politics and his initial loss of the electoral battle in Mangalgiri in 2019.
Even so, the 41-year-old is still to acquire the air of authority his father wields, that helps him keep his party together in times of crisis. Nara Lokesh realises that in politics, it is not enough to work hard; he has been skillfully using optics, the most important asset in a politician’s repertoire. He holds praja darbars, attending to the personal grievances of the people; he chats with youth, and is keen to be seen as a promising young political leader.
TDP sources say that as Lokesh grows in stature as a leader, Naidu is keen to maintain cordial ties with the powerful. “He wants the BJP on his side as he grooms his successor. This is the reason why Naidu is not ready to ruffle the feathers of the BJP’s top leadership and insist on SCS,” a TDP leader said on condition of anonymity. #hydkhabar
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