With Telugu Desam Party chief N. Chandrababu Naidu going on an indefinite hunger fast to press the case of the suffering farmers of Andhra Pradesh, and the same instrument of politics being deployed for the limited period of 48 hours by Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who is due to launch his own party after revolting against the Congress, the government of the newly ordained N. Kiran Kumar Reddy faces its first serious test since it took office recently.
The Congress chief minister — seen by some as a neophyte in the area of nuts and bolts politics — needs a strong hand of support from the Centre to help the farmers in distress, and to surmount the challenge thrown at him by his opponents. He is likely to be in the midst of another crisis in the next week or so when the Srikrishna Committee on Telangana comes out with its report. If the chief minister’s hand is strengthened by the Centre, he will be in a better position to deal with the fallout of the Srikrishna report. If not, prolonged political uncertainty in the state could be on the cards. This is not good for anybody. Not only will it impact negatively on the fortunes of the Congress in the only state in South India where it did not need an ally, instability would sap the administration and hurt the people. Some may be tempted to work toward the option of an unduly early Assembly election, but that is hardly the way things should go.
Farmers were hit hard by nature’s fury as many as five times this year. Crop on 25 lakh acres of land has been lost on account of heavy rains and cyclones. The plight of our food-growers is self-evident. Playing politics with people’s misery speaks of opportunism, not necessarily of concern for the suffering. In the case of Mr Naidu, it will be recalled that he has not pitched in for farmers in his 30 years in public life, leave alone go on a long-duration hunger fast. He was better known during his term as chief minister for catering to the urban habitation and taking health care out of the reach of the poor. Being a mature and respected politician, he might have earned laurels if he had only so much as raised the cause of the needy farmers without bringing a threatening edge to his demand. It is to be hoped that he would heed wise counsel from all quarters and end his fast before his health deteriorates any further, for that can become a political issue too and further unsettle the administration. As for Mr Jaganmohan Reddy, his short-duration protest fast is only a mobilising tool in a season in which he is doing all he can to build himself up politically. Reports suggest that he is registering a fair measure of progress, although it is not clear if playing politics with people’s lives always yields political dividends.
Given the state of affairs, much is up to the good sense of the Centre. The Manmohan Singh government has been unduly slow-footed in responding to a sliding situation. The announcement of `400 crore aid from the Centre to give succour to the state’s farmers appears to be a response to the protest actions by the opponents of the Congress. It should have come suo motu. Often, the essence of politics lies in the timing and the show of initiative, whether a specific demand has been made or not. The relief offered so far cannot meet the needs of the farmers, and it is beyond the capacity of any state government to deal with a crisis of the present magnitude. It will be in the fitness of things if the farm crisis in Andhra Pradesh is declared a national calamity, and financial and administrative instruments pressed into service to alleviate the misery of the agricultural community.