It’s all a Win, Compromise and Win situation for Chandrababu

 - D Vishnumohan Rao

Ever since, N Chandrababu Naidu took the reigns of the Telugu Desam Party and the governance of Andhra Pradesh he had been emerging a victorious politician. This is time and again proved, that he is one strategist who takes over ay critical situation into his control. The recent testimonial for his emergence as hero, zeroing all the opposition parties that tried in vain to grab mileage out of is, RTC employees and workers strike.

Analysts observe Chandrababu Naidu to apply compromise strategy and offer discussions with the agitating employees of the state run Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) to check the opportunities of the Congress and Left parties from gaining any mileage from the strike, though they extended open support to the strike. With the commencement of the politicisation of the strike, Naidu started making moves besides observing the penetration levels of the opposition parties into the sympathy gathering levels.

It had taken 23 days for Naidu to finalise and strike the deal just few hours before the ‘state bandh’ called by all the trade unions, public and private sectors. From the 68 demands tabled by the RTC Joint Action Committee (JAC) Naidu compromised on 42 demands to strike off the strike. The ever new and continuing uniqueness of Naidu in setting things ‘right’ sent ripples across the state for about three weeks.

Naidu on the move to privatise RTC, charges Dr Y S

As part of the agreements with the World Bank, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is all out to privatise the RTC, charged Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, leader of the main opposition in the Assembly, Congress. He warned that Congress would not be a dumb spectator if privatisation were taken on full length. He further said that Congress would launch a much bigger agitation than the power tariff hike stir.

Naidu responding to this comments said that it was the practice of Congressmen to politicise every issue and there was no need to give ear to those comments. Clarifying that there was no proposal to privatise the RTC, he added that Congress should shoulder the responsibility to confuse people in this regard.

Naidu blocks MSR letter from blowing up

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president M Satyanarayana Rao shot a letter to the Chief Minister demanding a fair and appreciable effort from the government to solve the problem through discussions. He mentioned that it was good on part of the government to adopt egoistic attitude.

Naidu sensibly gave a sharp reply “state does not have the size of funds required to accept all the demands put forward by the RTC JAC. Government had accepted to some of their demands. When they (JAC) come halfway ends would meet. How can we be responsible for all the things when they (JAC) are not stepping forward? If they can do something as a responsible opposition let the Congress leaders take initiative and solve the issue.”

Lefts dub government as anti-worker

All the communist parties in the state criticised the state government for the strike and dubbed it to be anti-worker. They yelled that state government was handing over all public sector organisations and privatising them in accordance to the agreement with the World Bank. Telugu Desam government in the state was completely adopting anti-worker policies, charged the Lefts.

There were several instances where Naidu conveyed that instead of closing the chronically sick units, it would be better to offer Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) the employees and hand the unit over to private persons so that at least some would be employed. Naidu gave a straight shot up in the arm of Lefts that they do not have any other occupation than to launch strikes and organise demonstrations. He advised them to turn their attention towards pro-welfare activities.

Demands charter is justified: JAC

The leaders of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) reiterated that all the demands listed in the charter were justified and there should not be any hesitation to the government in accepting them completely. They held the state government and the RTC management responsible for the losses being incurred by the Corporation.

The RTC was running in profits prior to 1995 and bagged many fuel efficiency awards at national levels, they recalled. The key concept of the demands charter was to stop harassing the employees and upkeep the promises made earlier, they summarised. Every action of the JAC was in accordance to the Constitution, they clarified. A notice was issued to the government, as it did not give out any response, we were compelled to resort to strike, explained the JAC leaders.

Naidu gave his foot-down reply “everyone has his or her own demands and wishes. For everything money is needed. How can the government accept every line of the demands charter when there is no sufficient money with the government? It was not fair for the JAC to go on strike when the state is suffering with drought and floods menace. Already we accepted to some of the very much-justified demands. If the JAC comes forward little more, then solution can be drawn out through discussions.

Naidu stalls state bandh

Alleging the state government to be negligent of solving the RTC employees’ problems, a conglomerate of various trade unions and opposition parties called for a state bandh on November 8, 2001. This call can be analysed in both the ends. One, Naidu solved the issue on November 7, 2001 to avert the problems that might arise out of the state bandh. The other angle of perception from JAC leaders is that it was the reason why Chief Minister Naidu solved the problems.

The ‘blue star’ shining in the strike was that JAC leaders went to the Chief Minister’s residence and thanked him for solving the long pending problems of the RTC workers and employees. This made the opposition parties’ leaders who had been driving hard to gain mileage from the strike open their mouths open wide in wonder and dismay.

-- Translated by SVL Narasimha Swamy

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