2 states, 2 stories

In June, 2014, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu became Andhra’s first CM post-bifurcation; he was already undivided Andhra’s longest-serving CM. Ten years on, he is in jail, accused of graft. TDP (23 MLAs) is the only opposition to CM Jagan Reddy’s YSRCP (151 MLAs) in the 175-seat assembly. Andhra’s politics and its economy, not just faltering but in disarray, are in contrast to Telangana’s, which has found firm footing as a new state – an identity and prosperity – in spite of controversies, from graft to nepotism, that dog CM K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Telangana, in 2022-23, boasted India’s highest per capita income of ?3,08,732; Andhra’s stood at ?2,19,518. Andhra’s lagging behind on human development indicators as well. The infant mortality rate in Andhra remains the highest among the five southern states, at 30 deaths per 1,000 live births. Telangana had improved its IMR by 2020 – it was down to 26, lower than the all-India IMR number of 28. Andhra can ill-afford indifferent governance because it has some of India’s most drought-prone areas, and a coast frequented by intense cyclones. Add to all this the soap opera of Andhra’s capital city.

Naidu still promises Amravati, his ?59,000-crore dream capital built on fertile land pooled from farmers of 30 villages. Andhra lost the plot once Reddy, as CM in 2019, initially raised loans for Amravati, then opted to “decentralise”, identifying three cities as seats of power, then decided on Visakhapatnam as capital. The World Bank pulled out and investors remain wary. Telangana and Andhra are still fighting over division of assets and river waters. Meanwhile, Rao is flaunting a “Telangana model”, his BRS is set to contest in Andhra in 2024 – both in LS and assembly. Murky politics and poor policy ultimately hurt political careers. That’s something Andhra’s incessantly squabbling politicians should remember.

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