Andhra Pradesh - Kadapa

Economic activity replaces feuds

KADAPA: Once a hotbed of factionalism, the scenario in Kadapa district has undergone a sea change with the developmental programmes, rise in employment avenues and increased economic activity dwindling people’s interest in factionalism.

Traditional factionalism led by local strongmen with a penchant to establish their supremacy in the area gave way, in the post-independence era, to factionalism for political power with people of vulnerable villages divided into rival groups and crossing swords against each other to further the interests of their leader. Prominent political leaders among those killed in factional attacks were Y.S. Raja Reddy, father of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, in a bomb attack at Vemula and sitting MLA of Jammalamadugu P. Siva Reddy, uncle of former Minister P. Ramasubba Reddy, who was killed in a bomb attack in Satya Sai Nigamagamam at Hyderabad. And not to mention the number of people killed on account of factional feuds in villages in Kadapa district.

Lack of irrigation facilities, neglect of irrigation projects by successive governments, successive crop failures, under-development, growing unemployment due to tardy industrial growth, illiteracy and economical backwardness left people engrossed in factional feuds and settling scores with rivals on the diktats of some leaders.

Though Kadapa is the abode to eminent sages, poets, litterateurs and people who made a mark in their respective fields, the outside world hardly knew the positive side of Kadapa due to the projection of factionalism. Fillip in educational opportunities, industrialisation to generate employment, free power supply and some schemes like ‘pavala vaddi’ loans were motivating people to strive for economic empowerment of their families, thereby weaning them away from factionalism.

While former Minister P. Ramasubba Reddy and Telugu Desam Party district president S. Raghurami Reddy allege a spate of factional murders of TDP functionaries in the district in the last four years, Kadapa Superintendent of Police D.S. Chauhan termed only one killing in Kondapuram mandal as factional and dubbed the remaining as those out of personal vendetta.

However, fearing that factionalism might surface on the eve of the ensuing elections, the SP fixed a 10-day deadline to people to voluntarily surrender 76 country-made bombs, 27 sickles and 19 hunting sickles in the last 10 days. The SP directed conduct intensive raids from Thursday onwards to seize the illicit firearms and weapons in factional villages.

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