Why Chandrababu Naidu and KCR's tit-for-tat politics is worrying
Yesterday when I called former energy minister of united Andhra Pradesh and senior Congress leader from Telangana, Shabbir Ali, he was driving to Hyderabad from Nizamabad. "I will call you from my landline once I reach home. You see, my phone is tapped," he said.
Mobile portability has a new meaning in Telangana, with many like Shabbir Ali moving from the mobile to the landline. The Andhra Pradesh government has accused Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of playing Big Snooper, tapping phones of politicians, businessmen and mediapersons. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu says KCR has got his phone tapped as well, a charge KCR has denied.
By now, everyone knows the sting operation that triggered this face-off. TDP’s deputy leader in Telangana Assembly Revanth Reddy was caught on tape offering 50 lakh rupees in cash as bribe to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to vote for the TDP candidate in the MLC election on June 1. Subsequently an audio recording emerged in which a voice, apparently that of Naidu, was heard promising Stephenson that he will honour whatever commitment had been made by his colleagues. This was seen as Naidu’s endorsement for the bribery and since nothing moves in the TDP without Naidu’s approval, it was taken for granted that Naidu was the brain behind the "Woo Stephenson Mission".
Naidu’s political rivals had tasted blood. The man who did not tire of taunting the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy and Jaganmohan Reddy, calling them corrupt, was himself accused of having feet of clay.
Moreover, ACB sources claim that the 50 lakh rupees was withdrawn from TDP MP CM Ramesh's account. With the grapevine suggesting that at least two MPs and a central minister may also get caught in the cash for vote case, the TDP bicycle is looking very wobbly. But it is the manner in which both KCR and Naidu are seeking to tweak this extreme dislike for each other, which is worrying. What is on display is complete lack of statesmanship and responsible behaviour.
Without answering questions on whether it is indeed Naidu’s voice on tape, the TDP has sought to make this into an Andhra versus Telangana issue. About how the self-respect of five crore Andhra people is being insulted. The party conveniently forgets that what Naidu is accused of doing has nothing to do with the state of Andhra Pradesh. If the tape is genuine, Naidu was acting in his capacity as TDP chief and not as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Two, this love for Newton’s third law of motion is not going to help matters. Anticipating one case against Naidu, the Andhra Pradesh police's SIT will slap 87 cases against KCR. Reducing the police force in both states to a personal tool of the political establishment will be doing irreparable damage to the institution.
The Telangana police at CM’s residence and TDP office has been replaced with cops from Andhra Pradesh. Given that Hyderabad is part of Telangana geographically, this is like showing a red rag to the Telangana police. And KCR made it clear he is not amused. Naidu however insists that he has as much right over common capital Hyderabad as KCR, which is debatable.
At the same time, the phone tapping allegation is extremely serious. If indeed the Telangana sleuths are listening in to conversations by political rivals, it is unethical and reeks of low level politics.
Both CBN and KCR have no love lost for each other. The problem is their personal acrimony is making it more difficult for the two states to accept the reality of the bifurcation and move on.