Can the ruling parties in the Telugu states, with all their efforts, afford to bank solely on the sense of gratitude of the tens of thousands of beneficiaries of welfare schemes even if they have not otherwise delivered on the fiscal and other crucial fronts of the economy? The answer can never be in the affirmative, going by what is happening in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Making people feel grateful is one thing and getting them to vote as payback is quite another. Most of the voters these days are psychologically not inclined to ‘repay’ the ruling party for whatever they have demonstrably benefited from a string of welfare schemes. They are fine with taking notes from one candidate or his or her representative and voting for his rival, who may have given them something else in kind.
The goings-on in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh are quite instructive. What the people of these states are feeling about welfare schemes seems to be at variance with what the rulers are taking for granted. The YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh and the Bharat Rashtra Samiti government in Telangana may be confident about their secure vote banks in the form of grateful beneficiaries of their welfare schemes. But the larger question is: Will benefits to individuals translate into public loyalty towards the ruling party?
Strictly speaking, the word gratitude has no place in contemporary politics. Today, amidst the preponderance of politicians who switch parties to make and break governments, no political guru can be sure that all his followers will remain loyal to him through thick and thin. When a sense of gratitude is not evident among turncoat politicians, why would people feel guilty about dumping politicians who have the audacity to think that people need only crumbs thrown at them as welfare benefits even if they are denied the fruits of real development. Given a choice, these people would prefer individual benefits as well as visible assets and infrastructure that help communities live in reasonable comfort.
In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,community development has taken a back seat with most schemes tailored for delivering individual benefits. While roads and other types of infrastructure are crying for attention due to professed lack of funds, there seems to be no problem for mobilising money to deliver in time individual benefits. No wonder, voters too get the message: “Take money from this guy but vote for that guy”.
A case in point is the way lakhs of women belonging to Self Help Groups behaved after receiving money to the tune of Rs.15,000-Rs.30,000 each just days before the 2019 election;and that too, after issuance of the poll notification by the Election Commission of India. Political pundits had expected all beneficiaries of SHGs to vote for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) headed by then chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. But the bulk of the same womenvoted in favour of then opposition YSR Congress Party. Now YSRCP is transferring funds to individual bank accounts of beneficiaries of welfare schemes. Funds totalling nearly Rs. 2lakhcrore have been disbursed so far to beneficiaries of various welfare schemes (Nava Ratnaalu). Progressive thinkers say that this huge amount ought to have been spent on creation of assets for the state to benefit even coming generations. The Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project has almost been shelved for want of funds. With just 25% of the total amount spent on welfare schemes till date, the project, considered lifeline of AP, could have been completed.
The project, upon completion, will cater to the entire water needs of the state for irrigation and drinking purpose. A simple barrage on River Krishna at Vijayawada with storage capacity of just 3tmcf would ensure the supply of irrigation water of nearly 200tmcf by proper regulation of water on either side of the barrage. Once can imagine how much amount of water can be utilised through the Polavaram project, which would submerge 217villages on either side of River Godavari. However, the AP government seems to be happy with just its welfare schemes. That is why the probable dates for completion of the project have been changed thrice so far.
Forget about gratitude, anti-incumbency factor poses threat to the ruling parties in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s brainchild ‘Dalit Bandhu’ is being denied to many individuals. It is understandable. When the two Telugu states are neck-deep in debts, people are bound to look for a government that will not burden them further. This requirement may relegate gratitude as a decisive factor in the coming Assembly polls in both the states.
