The "lull" before the storm?

Desaraju Surya
Hyderabad: There is a certain lull on the political scene in Andhra Pradesh in the past few days as compared to the intense turmoil witnessed over the Telangana separation issue since December last.
It was the five-member Srikrishna Committee, appointed by the Centre to study the situation in Andhra Pradesh, that has brought about the turnaround in the situation, so to say.
The ongoing Budget session of the state Legislature also holds mirror to the current scenario where disturbances, if any, were centered around issues concerning the people – like the unprecedented energy crisis, acute drinking water scarcity, irregularities in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, etc. -- rather than political or the state separation demand.
The major political parties that had been engaged in on-street “struggles”, for and against the division of the state since December 9 last year, were confined to the drawing rooms over the last few days, busy drafting their respective points of view on the state bifurcation issue to be presented to the Srikrishna Committee. Their pre-occupation with this documentation process has left little scope for the political parties to engage in any other activity.
This is much pronounced in the Telangana region where even the staunch separatist outfit like the Telangana Rashtra Samiti has kept itself away from the now-extinct Political Joint Action Committee, focusing rather on its own agenda. “All our leaders are pre-occupied with the preparation of a comprehensive report for presentation to the Srikrishna Committee. As such they are not taking part in JAC activities,” TRS spokesman Jagadeeshwar Reddy said.
Of course, the JAC itself died a natural death after the Congress quietly walked out, followed by the BJP, and the Telugu Desam Party “expelled.”
“The state is indeed witnessing a semblance of order after a long gap,” local political analyst M Sivamuni pointed out.
That the political parties and students groups put the agitations on a “pause” mode contributed to an improved law and order situation and restored normalcy.
The Budget session of the state Legislature made the principal opposition Telugu Desam Party and its allies CPI and CPM focus their energies on issues confronting the people. Together they have been fighting the government on issues like price rise, power and drinking water crisis, corruption in NREGP works reservation for Muslims, etc. The BJP, which decided to “boycott” the Srikrishna Committee, has been busy with its organizational matters including election of a new state committee.
Amidst all this, there is hectic activity in the ruling Congress camp what with the long-overdue expansion and reshuffle of the state Cabinet expected to be taken up early April. Every legislator worth the name is virtually jumping over the other to display loyalty to Chief Minister K Rosaiah and remain in his good books as there is talk that he may drop half of his existing Council of Ministers and accommodate new ones.
The prevailing situation is expected to last at least for a few more months since the Srikrishna Committee is seriously into its job. The ensuing biennial elections to Rajya Sabha from the state, followed by polls to urban local bodies in September, will also keep the political parties engaged. Of course, by-elections to 12 Assembly seats in Telangana region -- vacated by 10 TRS legislators and one TDP and BJP MLA each -- should also be held before September.
The political parties will thus be fully “tied-up”, literally!