The Legacy of Y S Rajasekha Reddy!

In an era of fractal politics in the macro context in India & the rock solid oligarch at the Congress High Command,YSR's rise to the top was unprecedented in the recent decades of Indian politics. But the even after 60 plus years after Independence we still get overawed by the populist planks.

In a nation elevating politicians to demi god status after a few soul stirring speeches and generous splurging of tax payers money in the form of free ( Today all most every thing from TV,Rice to even Cash) is seen as a major contribution , YSR does stand tall. But how much of the pre election sops reach the masses. What go done in his 5 year 110 day tenure , is it enough for us to anoint his stature as a great politician and statesman of our Great Indian Nation.

Consider this only a day before Dr.YSR left on his ill fated chopper journey the suburbs where he erected a swank home office was flooded with rain water and homes sunk in knee deep water.


Generous praise has been a part of most eulogies but certain fact remain indelible. Many forget that his assent to power in 2005 was largely due to the dissonance of the rural masses after three successive seasons of worst drought and the fact that Chandrababu was fighting the anti incumbency wave.

The scale of scams and corruption charges during is 5 year rule is unprecedented and unrivaled. The famed NREGA , Rajiv Arogya Shree schemes which wooed the vote banks were vehicles of siphoning government funds by few select corporate hospitals and district mandal in charges. The conceiving of populist schemes is one thing but administering the same to help it reach the last needy hand is quite another.

Measure should be from here on about our politicians success of not how many votes he garnered or the many populist schemes his government launched or if he stood tall as a regional leader in a Oligarchic National party but on the end results produced.

From where he took up office from Chandrababus Government, very little seems to have been achieved. In fact the price rise is unabated, job losses mount , farm suicides higher than the previous government tenure and very little in terms of vision for the future. Even the 2020 Vision document purported by the previous government was shelved as was several e Governance projects.

Policy and nation building policies must be seasonal as they are today by a few individual rain makers like Dr.YSR. But rather the political machinery function independent of the hallowed individual bias and influence. Progress then we will as a nation.

Little do people realize & recall about the bloodied faction rife past of Dr.Reddy and the way he single handedly struck down the party organisation leaving behind lilliputians as remains.

That he has cleverly wooed vote banks and grew his stature and kick started a few generous programs on development for the downtrodden is the legacy he leaves behind.

There is no denial that a few lakhs benefited from his good work and a few made lakhs . But is this enough. 60 years after Independence dont we voters think that what was delivered is expected by default in any case...?

The image on top should rather read as "Congress is coming to govern" rather and take the seat of power.

If vote banks and seat of power is a sole measure then West Bengal ruled by the Left Government for more than half of India's post Independence Years should be the most prosperous or Dr.Karunanidhi's 50 year political career brought at the least drinking water to Chennai instead of tax payer bought Color TVs..

Lets Imagine an India beyond our nascent 60 plus years of Post Independence and levitate the benchmark of greatness of the Indian Political leader. After all we had such Gaints as leaders who won us our treasured Independence.