The clear message in people’s verdicts

The results of all the four states, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana were almost on expected lines and were close to the predictions made by the exit polls. In Telangana, right from the word go, it was a clear super mash victory for the Congress party. What is interesting is that the Congress party this time seems to be working in a swift manner, and held its Legislature party meeting on Sunday night within hours of the results being declared.

Congress seems to have started on a positive note as the TPCC president A Revanth Reddy promised to restore democracy by giving space to opposition and by consulting all other parties as well as social activists like Prof Kodandaram on important issues. He also promised to see that Secretariat becomes accessible to all.

These results have a strong message and present a clear picture as to what is in store in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 for which the process would begin from February end or so. They have proved that Hindi heartland trusts brand Modi. These results caution political parties and their heads not to take the people for granted. Do not think that the cash benefits which the many governments including BRS have been announcing without bothering about matching revenue generation would help. What people want is delivery of the promises and welfare, not empty promises. Factors such as anti-incumbency, voter fatigue, and dissatisfaction among the youth contributed mainly to the poor showing of BRS in the Telangana Legislative Assembly elections.

The second lesson is that no government or political party or leader should think that they would make opposition-Mukt state or Bharat. In a democracy, the opposition should be given the space it deserves, and they should be the real voice of the people. The third lesson is that leaders should be with the people and not keep themselves closeted in their so-called camp offices, farmhouses or other places.

The fourth lesson is that no government should think that they need not bother about what the officials say. Officials should be given the freedom to give ground-level feedback. Their voice should not be gagged. Soon after the Telangana results came in, a former bureaucrat when asked why these days officials have turned “yes CM” type, he reacted saying feedback can be given if the ruler or the CM is willing to hear. If they feel they are the best administrators, best engineers and best in everything, why any officer would dare say anything and lose his or her face. Hence, the lesson the new government should learn is let every wing perform its role.

What is most important is that any Chief Minister or ministers should not get disconnected from the people. In the last ten years, the common man had no entry to the seat of power (Secretariat). The camp office of the Chief Minister was out of reach even for MLAs. This tendency was not only in the youngest state Telangana but in the last five years it has been seen in Andhra Pradesh as well. There, too, a similar style of functioning is in vogue. In fact, situation regarding intolerance is much higher there and anyone who dares raise his voice is put behind bars.

Another most important lesson is not to have a big team of retired officials as advisors as was seen in both the Telugu states. The bureaucracy is supposed to be the team of advisors of the government and the nodal agency to implement all the developmental and welfare measures. Plundering public money on creating political employment with the hard-earned money of the public exchequer is one of the issues which have not gone well with the people.

Hopefully, the Congress party which would be coming to power in Telangana for the first time after the formation of state will not become overenthusiastic and fail in governance. They need to measure every step they take lest they fall flat and would be out of power sooner than later. They should also understand that they lost Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan though they won Telangana. They should analyse the reasons for loss of power in these two states and take corrective measures while running the state here.

As far as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are concerned, it is now clear that the BJP would continue to focus on the Hindi heartland more than the South.