Centre’s refusal to accord special status to Andhra Pradesh, which led to Chandrababu Naidu’s exit from the NDA, is a poll issue in ‘Hyderabad Karnataka’.
Ballari: Summer seems hotter than ever before this time in the Telugu-speaking pockets of Karnataka, colloquially known as ‘Hyderabad Karnataka’. And it’s not just because of the heat of the Karnataka assembly elections, but also what is happening in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh between the BJP and its estranged former ally, Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party.
More than one crore people in Karnataka speak Telugu, and feel a kinship with the people on the other side of the state border. That’s why political leaders have been aggressively campaigning against the BJP, stoking the anger simmering among the people about the Centre not providing a special package to Andhra Pradesh.
While the BJP believes the TDP’s split from the National Democratic Alliance won’t have an impact, the Congress hopes its strategy to play it up in districts like Koppal, Ballari, Raichur, Kalaburagi and Bidar may help turn the tide. Even the BJP’s powerful Telugu-speaking Reddy brothers are struggling to drum up support in their pocket borough of Ballari – they are being asked why the Narendra Modi government ‘back-stabbed’ Andhra Pradesh.
Pressure on BJP supporters
Staunch BJP supporter Balram is a progressive farmer who believes that one should not be dependent on the government for everything. He believes villages should become self-sufficient, like his village, Krishna Camp, in rural Ballari. The villagers decided to alleviate their water problems by crowdfunding and buying a plot of land, which was then converted into a man-made lake.
“The government has not done much, but our local MLAs have worked hard. We were hardcore Congress supporters until 1998. Then, we saw Sushma Swaraj (who contested against Sonia Gandhi from Bellary Lok Sabha constituency in 1999) and her charisma caught on. Since then, we have voted only for the BJP,” he told ThePrint.
Asked about the BJP-TDP split, he defended the party, saying: “We have seen on TV how (Andhra chief minister) Naidu and the people are very hurt, but the BJP handles each state differently.”
Balram’s father Dhananjay joined the conversation at this point, and says that the events in Andhra and New Delhi definitely have had an effect on how people look at the BJP.
“We went to a wedding in Gangavati (a nearby town) last week. Many of my relatives were angry and shouted at me for supporting the BJP. ‘How could you still be with the traitors’, they asked me. I tried to make them understand that even today my vote is with the party,” Dhananjay said.
The father and son aren’t the only ones facing the heat from relatives and friends – the Telugu pockets of Karnataka are dotted with such examples.
Even in state capital Bengaluru, which lies just about 130 km from the Andhra border, the ripples are being felt. Madhusudhan Changalwada, vice-president of Bengaluru’s Telugu Association, said there will be a “huge swing” away from the BJP in the city that has been a stronghold for the party.
“Be it doctors, IT workers or anyone else, everyone is of the opinion that the BJP has betrayed Andhra Pradesh. We Telugu people may have different opinions, but we have come together for this cause in this election. Most people are following their inner voice – they want to teach the BJP a lesson,” he said.
Two loyalties is normal
In another Telugu village or ‘camp’ in rural Ballari, a group of men – young and old – sat under a tree with a Congress flag fluttering above their heads. “It is a tough election for the BJP,” said young Manoj as he settled down between two elderly men on a hand-woven cot.
Asked if his opinion was shaped by the developments in Andhra, he nodded. “Many of us here were BJP supporters until a couple of years ago. The moment we saw what Modi was doing to Telugu people, we decided not to vote for him,” he said.
Dr M. Usha, an associate professor at the Kannada University in Hampi, the medieval melting pot of Kannada and Telugu cultures, said there’s nothing unusual about the dual loyalty the people of this region feel. “There is a thin line between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Residents take privileges from both sides. So when something happens in AP, these people also feel the impact,” she said.
A letter in Siddaramaiah’s name
Recently, a letter carrying the name of chief minister Siddaramaiah was circulated by the media. The three-page letter stated: “I wish that the Telugu people teach a fitting lesson to the BJP for landing them in so many troubles and financial hardship by its inaction and by deliberately giving a go-by to the special category status…
“I have full confidence that the Telugu people have enough wisdom to recognise the true colours of the JD(S) too, and teach it a lesson as well.”
Siddaramaiah’s office clarified it was not issued by him or the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. Finally, the letter was linked to a senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh, whose name has not been divulged.
But given the already sour mood of the people of ‘Hyderabad Karnataka’, the letter might do its bit to hurt the BJP too, Congress supporters hope.