Ntrs Populist Legacy Stifles Naidu
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is known to be a computer-savvy leader with vision and zeal for change. But the impression is not as rosy among the rural people of the state who have begun questioning him during his campaign tours on the string of broken promises of his government.
Some of the measures that have angered the people is increasing the price of rice to Rs 3.50 per kg instead of Rs 2 per kg under N T Rama Rao, partially lifting prohibition while retaining the ban on the sale of arrack (country liquor), and asking farmers to pay a minimum of 13 paise per unit of power consumed for agriculture.
Rama Raos populist steps had virtually reduced the state to bankruptcy, to a point where it was unable to pay salaries to its employees. Naidus remedial measures to remedy the financial situation have not gone down well with the people.
The common man does not understand concepts like Vision 2020 and does not see the relevance to hi-tech programmes to their lives, says development economist B L Maheshwari, chief of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Organization Development.
Campaign trends indicate that Naidus measures have sparked off a strong anti-establishment wave in the rural areas. So much so that Naidu and his Telugu Desam have been unable to approach the electorate with a manifesto because he has no promises to make to the people.
The good work I have done for the State in the past 23 months is my manifesto. I dont need any other thing, says Naidu. His work obviously does not seem to have an impact on the rural masses.
In 1983, Rama Rao plunged straight from the glamour of cinema into politics, and within nine months ended up as the Chief Minister.
, mainly on the basis of populist promises and glamour. But he lost power to the Congress in 1989.
K. Vijayabhaskara Reddy faced the 1994 Assembly elections mainly on the basis of his governments developmental programmes, but lost the elections hopelessly. Rama Rao wrested power from Reddy on three promises: rice at Rs 2 a kilo, prohibition and power to farmers at zero rate, a legacy that Naidu has found difficult to handle.