The news from the Rayalaseema region is not what would be music to chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s ears. Days after YSR
resurructed the Telangana bogey, people in Anantapur district do not see TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao as a villian. “Demonisation of KCR will not capture the imagination of the average man from the Rayalaseema region before the elections,” said Tarimela Saratchandra Reddy, an activist of the federation of farmers associations. According to locals, the timing of the CM’s statement on regional issues has led to all sorts of interpretations which appear to end up as being more harmful for the Congress. “Now, the Congress has to do a great deal of convincing that it was not really a panic reaction to the possible outcome of the first phase of elections,” Saratchandra Reddy said. Many here say they are not against the formation of Telangana. “We are not against Telangana as such. But if the state is divided, we are worried about domination from the coastal region and it would not be that easy for Rayalaseema to break away from the divided Andhra region. Hence, the Telangana fears whipped up by the chief minister has in turn stirred fear among the people of this region,” said a local Congress leader who did not want to be identified. However, despite the prevailing mood in the region, the Congress is going full steam on its ‘injustice to Rayalaseema’ plank and thus whipping up regional sentiments. The chief minister is scheduled to address as many as six meetings in Anantapur district on Monda, sources said. Besides, the ruling party is also scheduled to release books written by writer S Imam called ‘Rayalaseema Gunda Chappudu’ (the beat of the heart of Rayalaseema) whose basic theme is the injustice meted out to the region. But how much all this can work for the Congress is the big question. “The people have already taken a decision based on their perception of the performance of YSR government. A seemingly emotional outburst cannot change this,” said noted poet Y Sriramulu. This was echoed by N Parthasarathy Reddy of Peravali village in Singanamal constituency. Congress sources said the party has no choice but to sustain the momentum unleashed by Rajasekhara Reddy in Nandyal last week. “Since it has been suddenly whipped up in the middle of the elections, we have no choice but to sustain the same in the Rayalaseema and Andhra regions,” said R Diwakar Reddy, a local Congress activist. Leaders belonging to the Grand Alliance claim the CM’s strategy is to check the migration of votes to the TDP and the Prajarajyam. “In some constituencies in the region, the votes are getting shifted to the TDP while in some others, they are moving in favour of the PRP. The latest strategy of the CM is actually a desperate move to arrest this tide,” said TDP activist R Sudarshan Rao. But in the Rayalaseema region going to the polls on April 23, regional disparity has become the poll topic, pushing the developmental schemes of the Congress to the background.
resurructed the Telangana bogey, people in Anantapur district do not see TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao as a villian. “Demonisation of KCR will not capture the imagination of the average man from the Rayalaseema region before the elections,” said Tarimela Saratchandra Reddy, an activist of the federation of farmers associations. According to locals, the timing of the CM’s statement on regional issues has led to all sorts of interpretations which appear to end up as being more harmful for the Congress. “Now, the Congress has to do a great deal of convincing that it was not really a panic reaction to the possible outcome of the first phase of elections,” Saratchandra Reddy said. Many here say they are not against the formation of Telangana. “We are not against Telangana as such. But if the state is divided, we are worried about domination from the coastal region and it would not be that easy for Rayalaseema to break away from the divided Andhra region. Hence, the Telangana fears whipped up by the chief minister has in turn stirred fear among the people of this region,” said a local Congress leader who did not want to be identified. However, despite the prevailing mood in the region, the Congress is going full steam on its ‘injustice to Rayalaseema’ plank and thus whipping up regional sentiments. The chief minister is scheduled to address as many as six meetings in Anantapur district on Monda, sources said. Besides, the ruling party is also scheduled to release books written by writer S Imam called ‘Rayalaseema Gunda Chappudu’ (the beat of the heart of Rayalaseema) whose basic theme is the injustice meted out to the region. But how much all this can work for the Congress is the big question. “The people have already taken a decision based on their perception of the performance of YSR government. A seemingly emotional outburst cannot change this,” said noted poet Y Sriramulu. This was echoed by N Parthasarathy Reddy of Peravali village in Singanamal constituency. Congress sources said the party has no choice but to sustain the momentum unleashed by Rajasekhara Reddy in Nandyal last week. “Since it has been suddenly whipped up in the middle of the elections, we have no choice but to sustain the same in the Rayalaseema and Andhra regions,” said R Diwakar Reddy, a local Congress activist. Leaders belonging to the Grand Alliance claim the CM’s strategy is to check the migration of votes to the TDP and the Prajarajyam. “In some constituencies in the region, the votes are getting shifted to the TDP while in some others, they are moving in favour of the PRP. The latest strategy of the CM is actually a desperate move to arrest this tide,” said TDP activist R Sudarshan Rao. But in the Rayalaseema region going to the polls on April 23, regional disparity has become the poll topic, pushing the developmental schemes of the Congress to the background.
0 comments:
Post a Comment