AP leaders' lack of unity caused loss to state

This is not a question that is asked by citizens of Andhra Pradesh. They raise the question differently – with real exasperation. Why are our political top brass unable to bring projects from the Centre? The answer is simple - Tamil Nadu leaders, or for that matter, leaders of say, Kerala, Karnataka etc are interested in the growth of their State. Whatever be the internal squabbles, they fight for the development of their State. This is reminiscent of Dharmaraja’s advise to his brothers when Duryodhana and Co were seized by Gandharvas and were being humiliated. Dharmaraja told his brothers who were reluctant to go to the rescue of Kaurava brothers : when we fight, we are five against that 100. When we are facing outsiders, we are 105 against the rest of the world. So for getting any benefits, politicians in other States gang up and pressurize the Centre forgetting their internal differences.

We Andhras have the motto: Each For Himself - Let the State Go to Hell!; This was prominently brought out. Poor NTR was for developing the State. He made all out efforts to get a Colour Picture Tube Factory which was very prestigious and he identified a site in Gannavaram and made all other preparations. He found that Rajiv Gandhi denied it to AP and endowed some other State with it. It was later learnt that Congress stalwarts of the State prostrated before Rajiv and begged him NOT to sanction the Project for AP as that would be a wonderful feather in the cap for NTR.

Vizag Steel is another example. There was a great agitation for it. The British government offered to fund a shore based steel plant. At one point Chenna Reddy and Sanjeeva Reddy were Steel Ministers at the centre. Chenna Reddy was reported to be in favour of it, but it did not progress. He was followed by Sanjeeva Reddy who was opposed to it, because such a big project in Andhra area was, it was rumoured, was something which caused him a lot of heartburn which he could not swallow and he sabotaged it. It was only Biju Patnaik who cleared it

P V Narasimha Rao as PM sanctioned the UNIGAUGE Project. Meter gauge lines were converted with Jaffar Sharieff as Railway Minister. There was a gap between Nizamabad and Bolaram. Sharieff did not think that PV would be unhappy with the gap, and PV did not instruct him to cover the gap. and it required a big agitation for the gap to be filled. This shows the indifference of even the Prime Minister to develop even a little part of his State.

In the good old days, a Marine Diesel Engine Project was sanctioned for AP and the President laid the foundation stone near Vizag, But actually it got shifted to another State. BHEL was sanctioned for AP, but a portion was shifted to TN. Main Battle Tank project was sanctioned for Hyderabad, but later the Engine portion was shifted to Madras. All this is because of the indifference or incapacity of AP leaders, and there are several more examples for this.

There was a lone exception to this: Chandra Babu Naidu got several Big things for Hyderabad llke ISB, IRDA, MMTS, HiTech city etc. But he made it all in Hyderabad raising its stature to that of an International City. Poor chap, now he is being told that he did not develop Hyderabad. Thank God the commentor was only a young boy when Naidu was developing Hyderabad; otherwise true to his being an Andhra (that is what everybody says he hails from though he is ashamed to admit it, and vehemently denies it).

The AP leaders are not bothered about the State: they are consumed with plans and schemes for their own advancement, How can they fritter away their energies for the betterment of the State?