Jagan too bitten by biopic bug?

Chatur Mas is a period consisting of four months and it begins from the Deva Shayana Ekadasi in the month of Ashada, and ends on Utthana Ekadasi in Kartik month. The four months of the Hindu calendar, Shravan, Bhadrapad, Ashwija and Kartik are considered very holy and this period is believed to be the sleeping period (Yoga Nidra) of Vishnu. Seers, saints and pontiffs will be observing the four-month-long Chaturmasa Vratham. This period is reserved for penance, austerities, fasting, bathing in holy rivers and religious observances for all – except politicians.

As far as politicians are concerned, it appears to be a season for biopics. Everyone who appears to be caught in this new fad is now planning to see that the biopics are ready a couple of months ahead of the elections so that it can help them get some sympathy votes. This craze seems to have caught the idea of the politicians of political parties after seeing the tremendous success of the biopic on Mahanati Savitri. TDP leader N Balakrishna is midway in shooting the biopic on his father N T Rama Rao who also happens to be the founder of TDP and former Chief Minister who had created a history in the politics of united Andhra Pradesh.

This trend is being followed by a biopic on Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. So far so good but a new twist in the plot is that the YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy seems to be planning to shoot a biopic on himself and the proposal is awaiting the final nod of Jagan. If the proposal gets his final nod it would be interesting to see where it would begin and how it would end.

While Balakrishna is playing the role of NTR and Mammootty is playing the role of YSR in YSR biopic, it would be interesting to see who the celluloid Jagan would be. While this is the situation in AP, a new bug called special status category seems to have bitten the TRS leadership. The ruling party wants to add this spice to its campaign and rake up anti-Congress feelings among the electorate. The TRS has extended its support to the demand of special status to Andhra Pradesh, but with a rider that if AP gets it, Telangana too should be given the same benefit.

The TRS is devising a strategy to launch extensive campaigns to tell the people that the industries in Hyderabad will move to AP and no fresh industrial investments will come to the state, if AP gets SCS and the youth in Telangana state will not get jobs. The special category status, thus, has the potential of becoming a major tool to rake up sentiments which have taken a back seat in last four years. It now promises to be the main poll plank for 2019 elections, more so, since the main slogan during the agitation for separate state was jobs, water and resources.

Interestingly, a section of industrialists also seems to have joined the chorus. They too seem to be echoing the doubts expressed by the government that it would be a major jolt to the youngest state and could jeopardise the development of Telangana State and could affect its status of being a level-playing field in the southern part of the country. If AP gets the special category status, it would give undue advantage to the neighbouring state it is being argued.

Before we take a look at whether the demand is justified or not, all parties very well know that the SCS is a myth and as long as BJP is in power there is no question of Andhra Pradesh getting it and hence there is no need for Telangana to worry about it. If NDA comes back to power, both states can give up hopes (if they have any) for another five years.

This being the situation, it would be better if Congress and TRS go to elections on other issues, particularly the promises made by TRS in its election manifesto, and debate on what has been implemented and what has not been implemented. SCS need not be a serious poll issue unless there is hidden political agenda as is being alleged by the Telangana Congress Party. The TRS says that the 29th state has already got a raw deal from the Centre as the Centre has given national status to Polavaram but refused to give the same status to Kaleshwaram or any other irrigation project here.

This has now raked up a new debate in political parties in Andhra Pradesh. They argue that when the state was bifurcated, AP had lost everything while Telangana was a surplus state and had good infrastructure facilities including industries, institutions and IT companies. AP is way behind all other states in the country in terms of level-playing field. If Centre wants to give special status to Telangana, it should first ensure that AP achieves a level-playing field.

The new demand of TS will be more helpful for TRS to put a check on the electoral prospects of Congress party and cause embarrassment to BJP in Telangana. These parties cannot say that TS should not get the SCS. The problem will be more for Congress since it has categorically stated in the Parliament and also at the Congress Working Committee meeting held recently under the chairmanship of Rahul Gandhi that if voted to power they will give special status to Andhra Pradesh.

At the same time, they do not appear to be in a mood to announce the same for TS since it is not part of the Act. All that they will say is that all the promises mentioned in the AP State Re-Organisation Act will be implemented in letter and spirit.

A senior Congress leader and former TPCC president is on record saying that TRS is trying to stir a political storm before the elections. He said the people of Seemandhra in Telangana should understand KCR’s politics of deception. The Congress points out that the TRS never made this demand when the AP State Reorganisation Act was being prepared and never made the demand anytime during the last four years. This is nothing but a game plan to hide the failures of the government on various fronts including its failure to fulfill the promises made to increase the reservation quota for tribals and Muslims in jobs.

But the question is whether this argument can counter the slogan of TRS that youth in the state will lose job opportunities if AP gets special status. It remains to be seen as to what line the BJP would take.