As Naidu breaks new ground, Andhra farmers lose the plot

In his earlier avatar as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu was pilloried for behaving more like the CEO of Andhra Pradesh Inc and being the darling of the industry, ignoring the farmer. In his new innings as the first CM of the bifurcated state of Andhra Pradesh, Naidu is accused of behaving like the CEO of a construction firm, obsessed with building Amaravati, the greenfield capital of the state.

It is Naidu's dream project. To build Amaravati on the lines of Singapore. Which is why the Singapore government is an active partner in Project Amaravati, with help coming in from Japan and China as well. The capital is estimated to cost a whopping 1,00,000 crore rupees and Naidu is not looking at Narendra Modi for help beyond constructing the basic government infrastructure like the Secretariat, Raj Bhavan and the Assembly building.

By creating a massive hype around Amaravati, Naidu is hoping investors will line up to bid for projects under the PPP mode. Floating Special Purpose Vehicles is going to be the modus operandi to execute different projects. That is going to be huge task, given that beyond Naidu's appeal as a doer, Andhra Pradesh has little going for it. The infrastructure in any of its urban centres is nothing to write home about which is why the hurry to create a city that will act like a magnet to attract investment. It is a chicken-and-egg situation. Naidu needs to create Amaravati to attract funds and funds are needed to build Amaravati.

So far, Naidu has largely achieved what he set out to. He bulldozed opposition to choose Amaravati as the location for the capital, rubbishing suggestions to locate it further south. His heart was set on a riverfront capital to emulate a London, a Paris, a New York. The problem is that in his effort to do so, he has removed 33,000 acres from the fertile Krishna delta, a multi-crop land of prosperous farmers. Agricultural experts point out that the capital city has gobbled up more than 120 varieties of vegetables and horticultural crops, besides removing one lakh people away from agriculture - 85 per cent of them small farmers and landless farm labour.

By selling the dream of rich dividends, Naidu has promised the farmers the moon. TDP leaders talk of a 100 per cent jump in land rates and the appreciation which has already taken place has gladdened the hearts of many who decided to do away with farming as an occupation. Many of the farmers have realised the pot of gold in their land and have become real estate agents themselves.

The party machinery has been galvanised to drum up support and ensure a very in-the-face enthusiasm for Amaravati. The attempt is also to convert those in doubt mode into Naidu-bhakts. "The man who created Cyberabad will now create a better Amaravati" is the talk of the town in Andhra Pradesh. The demi-god-ification of Naidu is complete in these parts, with a temple also to be built with the CM as the presiding deity in Guntur district. The more literate crowd is posting selfies with hashtag #ManaAmaravatiManaRajadhani (Our Amaravati, Our Capital) on Facebook and buying e-bricks for ten rupees. Bringing soil and water from different villages to Amaravati is another attempt to touch an emotional chord for what is being billed as "the People's Capital".

The farmers who chose not to sell their land or be part of the land pooling arrangement stick out like sore thumb in this high-decibel level deliberate campaign mounted by the Telugu Desam. Anyone who chose to not board the Naidu Amaravati Express is branded a YSR Congress loyalist. These farmers defend their decision, saying they see little pleasure in turning into a security guard or an industrial worker and say they want to continue with agriculture in the new capital region.

Many complain that beneath the gloss is the police pressure that was mounted by the Naidu regime to force farmers to give up their land. They wonder why does the government need to take up such large tracts of land and then give them away to private developers. The argument is that Naidu in one stroke, has cut the emotional attachment that a farmer has for his land and reduced them to becoming petty brokers. As per the land pooling scheme, each acre will get a farmer 1,000 to 1,500 square yards of land once the capital is completed. But for now, they have only Naidu's word that phase one will be completed by 2018.

Then there is the resentment brewing in Rayalaseema and north coastal Andhra that Naidu is repeating the Hyderabad mistake by putting all his eggs in Amaravati this time. The argument is that the decision to select Amaravati was also dictated by caste factor - given the Kamma dominance in Guntur and Krishna districts.

On Thursday afternoon, Modi will lay the first brick in Amaravati. The dream has begun for many people of Andhra Pradesh, but it will be a case of miles to go before anyone can sleep.