Apolitical Thoughts For Election and Battle Ground Andhra Pradesh

                    Here came the election season once again and the dates of the polls to elect the central government and some state governments are announced. So why am I interested in the proceedings. Is it a chance to capitalize on the opportunity and write a post to my blog for my benefit? Is it a way to live upon the politicians of the nation? The answers might not be completely false because I don’t have a business to interfere so heavily in the proceedings rather than minding my own business. Well, elections might not be so keenly contested in the nation’s history than the current ones. Because many bystanders are interfering and egging the leaders to give more. I had been spurring the leaders since last 10 years or past 2 terms through timely posts on elections. I had my own job as a student or a software professional which I should have concentrated upon and not interfered in others business. Politics is a separate entity and politician is altogether different profession. I had no business in entering an unfamiliar field and voice my opinion. Certainly I am paying taxes and had a right in deciding the custodians of those taxes. But when we think of this scenario, it seems appropriate that politicians are not all too powerful but we are attaching too much power to them. The scenario is the taxes we are paying might be lakhs of crores of rupees but it does not account for more than 10% of the total GDP. What about the remaining 90% of the GDP, it is beyond the purview of the politicians and all remaining people control it. The nation is in our hands and not in the hands of the politicians as we say. We can concentrate on increasing or affecting that 90% rather than interfering in the ownership of mere 10% GDP. All the great businesses eye the bigger pie and lies in the 90% zone. It is to say that the role of the politician is very limited and relegated to a small 1/10^th fraction of the big picture. The remaining citizens have many more bigger fractions to fill and need not unnecessarily highlight the least fraction. We need to aggregate the remaining 90% into small lumps of 10% each and form 9 more governments either private or public and wholeheartedly participate in the proceedings to which the person belong. The government which affects 10% of the nation is a ‘minority’ government and cannot control the nation as a whole. Which is why the voting percentage in the metros is a mere 50 to 60% because people does not feel governments can affect their lives and choosing a leader is a unworthy task and coming to vote is an alien affair even if it is once in five years.

                    Isn’t it all. Is it hence proved that the role of a politician is smaller than an ant. Why worry about the ant and put the ants on a pedestal through this hype created at the time of elections. Is it still worth it that the best person of the nation has to be head of ants when he can be anyone else for better utilisation. Is the head of ants position unreasonably thought of as the highest position in the country. Are we making a hero out of a zero position. This is one of the dimensions to look at the election circus and distance ourselves from it.

                    The above writeup is the thought process of an apolitical and indifferent person. But there is much more to it and if we observe the last five years the role of a politician has dramatically increased and rightly so. It has raised to the extent of impacting each and every individual of the nation. Politics are no longer marginal and it has come to main stream. The amount of work that went behind some of the reforms is huge and it affects not just few individuals but the entire populace. This kind of performance is unprecedented and the custodians of the mere 10% GDP worked without a holiday for the entire 100% population since the last five years. The governments dictate the well-being of its people and if you are doing well, then a part of the credit goes to government. Barring my U.S stint for which the U.S government is responsible, I have been personally doing well since last 5 years in India. This is not under normal circumstances but under exceptional conditions. If a person so hopeless like me is living well with a hope then there is no question of ordinary people. They must be faring very well and the good governance days are upon us.

                     Five years have passed since the last polls and the nation elects the PM for the next 5 years in next two months. It is for every individual to retrospect on the work done by the incumbent government and introspect to decide on whom to vote for their own well-being for the next five years. You can change your fate by the vote and there has to be platforms for engaging discussions, dissuading information to the voters to make their choice of vote. All the good people must come together and work to spread good message to defeat the evil in the society. Thereby, you are working to further the cause of your own country. There are once again Congress and B.J.P in the fray and if B.J.P can promise the same form of governance for the next 5 years, then India will not think twice to elect this government again. If there are more meaningful reforms on the way, then the nation must give B.J.P another chance. The country has seen fastest growth in the last five years when compared to the previous terms and the momentum should not halt. As mentioned, the government has walked the last mile and reached the last person. Rs. 1 lakh has been spent on every poor household annually and the tax money must reach the needy to relieve them of their financial stress and lift people from poverty. Leave alone everyone, if the government can govern the marginal and impoverished people well, then it is a big gift to the rest of the people. Everyone else expects the same and financial inclusion is also slowly happening. The urban voters must participate in this financial inclusion exercise by at least choosing to vote and give power to a government to do so.

                      Coming to the own state of A.P, the most fiercest of the battles is drawn in this state. It is against the experience and expertise of the present chief Minister against the determination and doggedness of the opposition leader. There is the third party Janasena which is also in the fray to make it much more interesting. The state which has been divided five years ago with deficit budget has been on the path of progress thanks to the efforts of the CM. The state witnessed highest growth and achieved number one rank in the country with an average growth rate of 10.5% in the last four years. It has surpassed many developed states like Gujarat, Maharastra etc. following a focused approach and setting high targets for itself. The average growth in the country stood at 7.3% during last four years. In the most recent year, the state clocked the growth of 11.39% as against a target of 15%. This can be the best indicator to tell how well the state has been on the path of development.

                      Andhra Pradesh topped the ease of doing business among states for the past three years which brought in an investment of Rs. 1,48,000 crores. The expected target is again Rs 5 trillion worth investments. If 1-10 jobs are generated for 1 crore of investment, 2,64,000 direct jobs and atmost 10 lakh direct and indirect jobs are created in the last few years. Andhra Pradesh tops the country by bagging maximum number of awards during the last four and a half years. The state received 700 awards at the national level in various sectors and categories. This all goes with the CM’s resolve to make AP number one state in the country. 

                       There are many achievements of Mr. Naidu in the last 4 and half years. Under the land pooling scheme for the capital city of Amaravati, 34000 acres from 28,146 famers from 29 villages has been pooled which has become a model in itself for such a large project. The work completed thus far on Polavaram irrigation project is 60% which is once again highly appreciated since the project has been pending since last 50 years. This along with Pattiseema project has interlinked the rivers Krishna and Godavari and took the water to water-scarce Rayalaseema region.  There are more than 100 welfare programmes which has been started by the government to cater to the lesser fortunate sections of the society. He attracted many FDIs and start-ups but the biggest of them all is the investment of 13000 crores car factory providing employment to 11,000 located at Anantpur district. The CM works for 16-18 hours a day for the betterment of the state which is evident in constructing 9,00,000 concrete houses for economically backward families of the state. 21 lakhs flats are still pending for completion. All the villages are getting 24-hr power supply and cement roads. Large parts of A.P. are now declared open defecation free. These are 50% of all the achievements and there are many more major achievements which are not listed.

                        No one should uproot a progressing CM like Naidu and leave the work in between half done. Much more is left to be done in the next five years. The founding father and the modern architect of the state should be left in continuation of his work till the foundation of the new state is strongly built. The young generation of politicians - Jagan and Pavan can wait for 5 more years before learning from the architect and building on top of something substantial. He came to power in 2014 by promising to transform A.P. into a Singapore and that dream is very much on track and work-in-progress. But all of it is not possible for a single person. The eminent personalities in politics and other walks of life should enhance his mission by working with him and all the citizens of the state must repay their gratitude by voting for him. It will be in the better interests of the state if the newly formed Janasena party merge with T.D.P and campaign together rather than dissecting the votes. Ultimately, it is the toughest of the competitions that bring the best from the best. We have been witnessing it in the ongoing duel and everyone hopes that the best and the right person will emerge victorious out of the tough fight.