Rajya Sabha games: Why does CM Naidu prefer a Maharashtrian?

Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha election, accompanied by many BJP and Telugu Desam ministers and MLAs, in Hyderabad.

 

But why did TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu chose Suresh Prabha, a Maharashtrian, over Telugu BJP leaders such as Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Minister for Commerce Nirmal Sitharaman?

 

While Venkiah Naidu hails from Nellore district, Nirmala Sitharaman is married to a Telugu man - Parakala Prabhakar. Prabhakar is the communications advisor to the government of Andhra Pradesh. Nirmala has completed only two years in the Upper House as she was elected for the remaining period of Congress member N Janardhan Reddy following his death.

 

Still, Naidu had never been enthusiastic to renominate either Nirmala or sponsor the candidature of Venkaiah Naidu. According to TDP sources, both of them disappointed Chandrababu Naidu, failing to arrange extra assistance from the centre beyond what was mentioned in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act. 2014.

 

"For getting what is incorporated in the Act, there is no need for any extra lobbying. As union ministers with roots in Andhra Pradesh, both Naidu and Nirmala failed to persuade the Prime Minister to extend liberal help for the state after bifurcation," said a senior TDP leader.

 

With regards to Venkaiah Naidu, Chandrababu Naidu is said to be particularly upset. Venkaiah Naidu has openly opposed CM Naidu's basic strategy on the development of the new capital Amaravati. On the other hand, Venkaiah Naidu is also at odds with CM Naidu because of his lukewarm response to Naidu's Rajya Sabha nomination.

 

It is not known whether the opposition to the capital plans caused the lukewarm response or whether the lukewarm response drove the opposition to the capital development. But they two have clearly fallen apart.

 

In an interview to a Telugu news channel,  Venkaiah clearly opposed the Amaravati development model. "The chief minister wants everything to come up in Amaravati. We are opposed to this. We are for decentralisation of development. Do you want one more Hyderabad to develop in Andhra Pradesh?," Venkaiah asked.

 

Similarly, Venkaiah opposed in unequivocal terms a metro between Guntur and the new capital of Amaravati, stating the project was not commercially feasible. The Amaravati metro is Chandrababu Naidu’s dream project. He appointed Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s Sridharan as an advisor to the project and had the Draft Proposal Report prepared.

 

The Amaravati Metro Rail Corporation has been floated to implement the project. Venkaiah Naidu, however, preferred a shuttle service between Guntur and Amaravati to a Metro. But without the active support of the union urban development ministry, developing a metro is not possible.

 

Peeved at Venkaiah’s attitude, Chandrababu Naidu has reportedly preferred Suresh Prabhu's nomination, jettisoning Venkaiah and Nirmala with the hope that Prabhu would encourage some progress in at least in the Railway sector.

 

The immediate demand from the TDP is the creation of a separate Vizag Zone. The TDP hopes that Suresh Prabhu would ease the passing of the Vizag Railway zone created after his election to Rajya Sabha.

 

With Amaravati progressing at a snail's pace and Opposition parties ridiculing the CM’s failure to get special status for Andhra Pradesh, TDP badly needs some physical achievement in the form of Railway Zone.