• Home

Naidu faces the heat over stampede

Hyderabad - Opposition says nothing short of his resignation could wipe out the trail of blood left by the tragedy.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu wouldn't have faced a worse political crisis in his career spanning nearly four decades as the one he is going through now. Still struggling to wriggle out of the infamous cash-for-vote scam in Telangana, which has deeply dented his already sagging image, the unfortunate tragedy on the opening day of the 12-day long Godavari Pushkaralu which has so far claimed 29 lives has Naidu fighting with his back against the wall, and that is putting it mildly.
Smelling blood, the entire opposition, particularly YSR Congress (YSRC) and the Congress, has gone for Naidu's jugular, stating that nothing short of his resignation could wipe out the trail of blood left by the tragedy. From Naidu's recent shopping trip to Japan for the residuary state to the "VVIP racism" witnessed during the State's first family's dip in the Godavari at Rajahmundry, to the failure of officialdom to address the problem of crowd management, the opposition has pulled out all the ammo from its armor to attack the chief minister.
Still smarting after the unexpected but humiliating defeat in last year's general elections, Naidu's bete noire and YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy was quick to seize the opportunity, blaming Naidu for the Pushkaralu stampede.
"Naidu should take full responsibility for the death of so many people since he chose to offer puja at the main Pushkar ghat in Rajahmundry which is meant for the general public. The chief minister should have taken the dip at Sarawathi ghat which is reserved for VIPs, but he chose the enclosure for the general public with an eye on publicity.
"Unfortunately, the area was blocked for three hours on account of the VIP presence, and the sudden surge of impatient pilgrims after Naidu left led to the tragedy," Jagan said, adding that the chief minister should quit owning moral responsibility. Former Union Minister and Congress leader Chiranjeevi, voicing similar sentiments, said Naidu should own moral responsibility and resign from the post of chief minister. "It is a very unfortunate incident which could have been averted through proper planning and management for which Naidu is responsible," he said.
While the opposition chorus for Naidu's resignation goes up by the minute, literally, there are a few loose ends which the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government failed to look into. For one, while spending million of rupees in putting up the infrastructure in place for the mega event that occurs once in 12 years, the State government appears to have given little thought to effective crowd management. The government completely ignored the crowd management guidelines issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for such huge religious congregations, which includes registration of pilgrims.
Another factor that could have hampered the smooth conduct of the Pushkaralu is the inability of some key ministers to attend to finer details because of their preoccupation with other responsibilities. For example, Municipal and Urban Developments Minister P Narayana, who was given the responsibility of overseeing all the arrangements for the Pushkaralu, also plays a key role in the development and construction of the new capital of the State. To make matters worse, Narayana was also part of the delegation that Naidu led to Japan, returning just a couple of days before the event.
Last but not the least is the penchant for politicians to indulge in "VVIP racism," a term which has become the latest buzzword in Indian media leading campaigns against public servants creating hurdles and hassles for the common man. Allegations are that the entire police force in Rajahmundry was in full attendance to provide security to Naidu and his family for three hours even as the barricaded pilgrims sweated it out. The mayhem that followed was a fall-out of the police force's preoccupation with the VVIP presence, lending some credence to the opposition allegations.
Interestingly, Naidu's assertion post the tragedy that he will stay put in Rajahmundry for the entire duration of the river festival to ensure that the event passes off without further mishaps has drawn flak.
news@khaleejtimes.com
"If Naidu stays in Rajahmundry for the next 11 days, the entire police machinery and the district administration will not be able to focus on what needs to be done since they would be under constant pressure to please the chief minister. He should leave the place and allow the officials to manage without the pressure of being watched," a senior official said.
And what does the ruling party has to offer in defense? "If Naidu resigns as chief minister, will it reverse the situation?" Ram Mohan Rao, TDP MP and Special Representative of the AP Government in New Delhi quipped. The million dollar question is not whether Naidu should resign, but could the tragedy have been averted with proper planning and foresight, which the TDP government failed to accomplish?