Brahmins seek fair Political Deal Bharadwaja- Rangavajjala Bharadwaja Vijayawada City Congress is now witnessing a new social, political and electoral equation. The political “sanyas” by Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal, who led the samaikyandhra movement from the front and his subsequent expulsion from the Congress, has led to regrouping in the city Congress. Vijayawada Congress politics is now at the crossroads. While leaders, who had enjoyed power for many years, are leaving the Congress in search of greener political pastures, social groups that had always been traditionally with the party are now eager to return to the Congress fold. These communities include dalits, suppressed classes, and Brahmins. Rajagopal’s absence from the Vijayawada Congress is now hardly felt. That there is no Congress in Vijayawada without Rajagopal has proved to be a myth. The party continues to survive in the city, even with much vigour. This is evident from the success of the recent meetings conducted by union minister Jairam Ramesh and AICC SC Division convener Koppula Raju in the city. The success of the meetings also clearly shows that traditional groups are returning to the Congress to fill up the political vacuum and strengthen the party further. Vijayawada is one of the few constituencies where Brahmins hold a sway, and are capable of returning to power, both in Parliament and Assembly elections. The very first Lok Sabha seat from Vijayawada was represented by Brahmin intellect Harindranath Chattopadhyaya. Harindranath is the brother of Sarojini Naidu, nightingale of India. In the next election, Dr Komaraju Atchamamba won with a thumping majority. Eminent engineer Dr KL Rao returned to the Lok Sabha thrice, thus making an electoral hat trick. Chennupati Vidya, daughter of atheist movement founder Dr Goparaju Ramachandra Rao (Gora) was elected to Parliament twice from Vijayawada. Incidentally, seven of the nine MPs elected from Vijayawada between 1952 and 1991 are Brahmins. Except Harindranath, all other Brahmin MPs were elected on the Congress ticket. It has thus led to a famous adage in the city, “Brahmins and Congress ticket are winning combination”. The politico-electoral scenario however changed after the entry of the Telugu Desam Party on the state’s political horizon. Telugu Desam Party’s candidate Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao won the Vijayawada Lok Sabha seat in 1984 general elections. The constituency has become a Kamma dominion after 1991. Leaders belonging to this social group continue to dominate over the electoral politics of Vijayawada. Parvataneni Upendra won twice. Gadde Rammohan was elected once. Lagadapati Rajagopal represented the constituency twice. The last three decades have seen the Congress leaning more towards business and commercial considerations rather than taking along its traditional supporters. The corporatisation of the Congress led to alienation of communities like Brahmins among others. Along with Brahmins, SCs and Muslims have time and again expressed their resentment at the Congress for ignoring them. The Brahmin community expressed its anger at the Congress by fielding Sishtla Narasimha Murthy against the official nominee Chennupati (Vangaveeti) Ratna Kumari in 1994 Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party turned the anti-Congress tide in the Brahmin community to its advantage during 1999 assembly polls. The BJP fielded noted film actor Kota Srinivasa Rao, a Brahmin, in a clever political move to win the Vijayawada East Assembly segment. The resentment was so high that in the last Lok Sabha elections, the community fielded Narasimha Murthy once again, this time on the Bahujan Samaj Party ticket. Realising its mistake, the Congress fielded a Brahmin candidate, Malladi Vishnu, from Vijayawada central Assembly seat during 2009 elections, for the first time in nearly 35 years. Vishnu was elected to the assembly, thus reiterating the old saying, “Brahmins and Congress ticket are winning combination”. Vundavalli Arun Kumar, elected from Rajahmundry in 2009, was the only Brahmin MP from the state in the current Lok Sabha. The Congress has expelled Arun Kumar from the party after he took up the cause of united Andhra Pradesh. By and large, the Brahmin community feels that it is left unrepresented in the Lok Sabha from the state. The political scenario in Seemandhra vis-a-vis the Congress reminds one of the conditions prevailing during 1978 assembly elections. Then chief minister Jalagam Vengal Rao ensured that the Congress won all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 1977 general elections. Buoyed over the success, Vengal Rao along with Kasu Brahmananda Reddy differed with Congress president Indira Gandhi and formed what came to be known as Reddy Congress. All top leaders in Andhra Pradesh had sided with Vengal Rao. The Congress could not get big leaders to its side. At its hour of crisis, Brahmins, dalits and minorities stood firmly by Indira Gandhi and the Indira Congress. The Indira Congress believed that fresh faces are better than corrupt leaders. It fielded a large number of candidates from weaker sections. The Reddy Congress faced a humiliating defeat in 1978 assembly elections. Indira Congress, which banked heavily on downtrodden sections, won with a thumping majority in the state. Old timers recall that the Congress is now passing through one such critical phase. Brahmin representatives are known for their honest politics and sincere discharge of duties and responsibilities. Those who know the past history of Vijayawada’s electoral politics do not fail to vouchsafe that the leaders from Brahmin community had discharged their responsibilities as public representatives with utmost honesty, dedication and commitment. Brahmins are not the only community that became victim to corporatisation of politics. Other communities like religious minorities, dalits and weaker sections too are its victims. These communities and sections are now regrouping to emerge as a formidable electoral and political force in the state. The traditional vote bank of the Congress is now all set to return to its fold. These communities do not want to side with the Telugu Desam Party. They are also keeping aloof of the BJP due to its current political thinking and ideology. Andhra Ratna Bhavan, headquarters of Vijayawada City Congress Committee, now wears a deserted look. Soon it will brim with activity and come alive with the return of traditional communities to the Congress fold. Brahmins Vysyas, Dalits, Weaker Sections and Muslims are all set to restore the glory of the city Congress. (The writer is convener of Seemaandhra Brahmana Rajakeeya Chaitanya Vedika) Hyderabad 5 March 2014 sharing from http: dannynotes. tx to Shri A.m. Khan Yazdani Danny
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 13:56:00 +0000
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