The coalition between national and state political parties can often be complicated with people unable to determine who is to be held accountable for the condition in their state. The recent split between Telugu Desham Party (TDP) and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in Andhra Pradesh is being seen by many as a huge political move by Chandrababu Naidu. At face value, the prevailing notion is that the ties were snapped because Andhra Pradesh had not received special category status. However, a recent statement by the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan may have revealed a different side of the story.
It appears that the BJP-TDP split could have something to do with Polavaram project. Polavaram is an irrigation project on the river Godavari which has been on the cards for the past 75 years. The problems emerged in the progress of the project when it was declared a national project, a decision which was challenged by the Odisha government. The Polavaram project as per the Odisha government will affect several rural areas. In total, about seven districts in Odisha would be affected by the project.
As we discussed earlier, regional politics is an entirely different ball-game. Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which is a regional party in Odisha, has targeted the centre and BJP for allowing the Polavaram project that will affect the local population. A bandh was also called in South Odisha recently with fears that the project would lead to displacement of the tribal and submergence of the forest as well agriculture land. BJD accused BJP of siding with the TDP due to their alliance and being unfair to the people of Odisha.
Dharmendra Pradhan during his recent visit to Kotia gram panchayat stated that Polavaram was a significant reason for BJP snapping ties with TDP. He also reiterated that the villages in question were an integral part of Odisha and would always remain so. These clear and unhindered views have now put the ruling BJD on the back foot. The Union Minister called out BJD’s bluff and hinted that the state government was blaming the central government to hide its own shortcomings.
Dharmendra Pradhan also assured the people of Kotia gram panchayat that he would submit a report to PM Narendra Modi to intervene for rapid development of the region. This move by the Union Minister has created a unique situation as now BJD has no issues to oppose the BJP. As more and more people become aware of this fact, it is expected the BJP will benefit in both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
These statements shed light on the one of the many reasons of TDP-BJP split rather than just the one that is being widely propagated by the media. On the other hand, people of Odisha will also realise the fact that the state government was falsely accusing BJP of siding with Andhra Pradesh and neglecting Odisha. It remains to be seen what the central government will do for the upliftment of these districts in Odisha. The ruling BJD might have a tough time explaining its own position and searching for issues to target the central government.