Reddy purposefully humiliated Congress to make it a win-win situation for it. It will be no wonder to see the UPA government taking up Telangana Reorganisation Bill in the parliament soon.
While Congress chief Sonia Gandhi was busy addressing a rally in Kishanganj of Bihar and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi was holding another of his interactive sessions in Delhi, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Reddy and his ministers rejected the reorganization of the state.
A resolution, moved by Reddy himself, was adopted rejecting the AP reorganization Bill in the Andhra assembly today. The passage of the resolution by voice vote was preceded by Legislative Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar’s announcement that the debate on the bifurcation bill has been completed.
With the completion of this old and controversial debate in the Andhra assembly, Reddy’s humiliation of Congress is also being considered complete by some reports in the media.
Although the decision on Telangana makes the future of the state looks bleaker, we should not forget that the state is being ruled by Congress itself. According to the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti president K Chandrashekhar Rao’s son, the assembly resolution would not have any effect on the scenarios as it was a mere formality.
Believing what he said, it will not need much of our imagination to think that it is another of the delaying tactics adopted by Congress in the matter. The Congress party has till now been saying and doing one thing at the centre while constantly carrying out its agenda in the state with its government. To think that Reddy has humiliated Congress will be foolishness. It may well be a part of the bigger Congress plan where they want to be on the both sides of the issue and save themselves from any kind of responsibility.
For example, Congress’ own men have lead strikes in the Rayalseema and coastal Andhra region against the bifurcation. In fact, 156 of the 175 MLAs of Seemandhra – a number which outnumbers Telangana MLAs – have given signed affidavits opposing the bifurcation. The Congress party must have had knowledge about such action as CM Reddy’s actions were making constant noises to draw attention. But, despite his antics Congress party chose to downplay the continuing opposition by him on the bifurcation.
As it had happened in the case of Bihar and Jharkhand, despite the resolution against bifurcation, the Parliament had passed the reorganization bill and the two states were formed. Same can happen in the case of Telangana. It will be no wonder to see that when Parliament convenes in the first week of February, one of the bills most likely to be pushed through will be the AP Reorganisation Bill for the creation of Telangana.
If we remember well, Reddy had given a signed affidavit opposing the bifurcation threatening that the bifurcation will come only with the end of his own political career. The Congress party is already facing much turmoil and its defeat in other assembly elections last year have pulled its moral down. With a rising wave against it, the party has to do whatever it can to save itself from bitter defeat.
If the Parliament takes up the bifurcation bill, as BJP is in favour of smaller states like Telangana, the bill will be passed without much opposition and the Congress party will become a hero in the eyes of all pro-Telangana men.
But Reddy will also be seen as a hero in the eyes of anti-Telangana men. He will be cashing in the popular anti-Congress mood in the Seemandhra region making a big leap in his political career.
The Congress party will be comfortable with this humiliation because even if Reddy will break out realizing his big image, he will help Congress indirectly by creating yet another power centre in the fractured polity of Andhra Pradesh. It will become easier for the party to combat YSR Congress of Jaganmohan Reddy and the situation will be a win-win for Congress.
“A milestone”, as said earlier by Digvijay Singh, will be completed.
