Last Updated on 24/07/2024 by wccexam Desk
Two days before the Union Budget was presented in Parliament, a grassroots activist had predicted that the budget would get Chandrababu Naidu’s approval. By Tuesday afternoon, it was clear that the Naidu-Nitish duo had definitely made the budget an AB budget focused on Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
Andhra Pradesh’s capital Amaravati, which was a ghost town till June 4, will now get special financial assistance of Rs 15,000 crore this year. This will be facilitated by the central government through multilateral development agencies. Not only this, additional funds will be arranged in the coming time. Polavaram irrigation project also got commitment in the House for financing and early completion.
Funds will be provided for the construction of infrastructure at the Kopparthi node on the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor and the Orvakal node in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor. Grants have also been announced for backward areas of Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra.
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Bihar gets funds for several sectors
Rs 26,000 crore will be invested in highway development in Bihar. Bihar was also mentioned in the budget speech and funds were allocated for temples, flood management, irrigation and industrial nodes.
Politically, this is very good news for Naidu. Unlike the Vajpayee era, when Naidu had a key role in the NDA and was often seen in the national capital campaigning to raise funds for rice and United Andhra Pradesh, Naidu’s stature is getting weakened in Modi’s third term.
Naidu’s image will be strengthened
The budget decision came as a relief to Naidu as instead of demanding the post of Lok Sabha Speaker for a TDP MP or a larger number of ministries in the Union Council of Ministers, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister secured funds for his state.
Politically, this is an opportunity for Naidu to boast at home and demoralise an already demoralised YSRCP. It will also strengthen Naidu’s image as a development-oriented leader and he will be able to sell the dream of jobs to the people, especially in the backward Rayalaseema region.
This is why within minutes of the announcement, Naidu thanked the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister on social media with the hashtag #APBackonTrack. The timing couldn’t have been better. YS Jaganmohan Reddy along with YSRCP leaders are sitting on a peaceful protest in the national capital to raise their voice against the attacks on YSRCP workers in Andhra Pradesh, which the opposition party alleges is politically motivated at the behest of the TDP.
What Jagan couldn’t do, Naidu did it
If seen, Naidu will be seen as someone who will achieve for Andhra Pradesh what Jagan, despite being close to Narendra Modi, could not do between 2019 and 2024. Naidu’s 16 MPs have more political influence than Jagan’s 22 MPs in the last Lok Sabha.
However, that did not stop YSRCP from criticising TDP for getting a “convenient” Rs 15,000 crore while Bihar was “allocated” Rs 26,000 crore. Terming the budget proposals as “symbolism”, YSRCP called it a missed opportunity and said Rs 1.5 lakh crore is needed to build Amaravati. TDP’s defence is that the nature of funds, whether loan or grant, does not matter as long as it helps in immediate development.
Rahul Gandhi’s allegation would have been strong
Despite the criticism by the YSRCP, the budget announcements strengthen the slogan of double engine government in Andhra Pradesh, which asserts that when the same parties rule in the state and the Centre, it leads to faster development at the grassroots level. However, such a claim will also raise the question as to why this was not done in the last decade.
After all, there was nothing stopping the BJP from extending similar generous benefits to Naidu when he was part of the NDA between 2014 and 2018. The Modi government could have extended this largesse to the Jagan regime as he largely supported the BJP at the Centre, but it did not do so.
This further strengthens Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that this is a ‘save chair’ budget and the BJP, which is below 272, is under political compulsion to keep its two most important allies happy.
Though nobody will be upset with Andhra Pradesh and Bihar getting a bigger share of the country’s budget, other states like Maharashtra will feel left out. Voices of discontent are also being heard from states like Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Bengal. It will be a challenge for the BJP to satisfy other states, as right now it looks like Amaravati and Patna are getting their due in return for the support given in New Delhi, making the budget seem like an insurance policy.