The recent happenings on Andhra-Maharashtra border between the agitated Telugu Desam party members and Maharashtra police indeed generated enough political heat. It may be difficult to justify either of their acts.

Telugus per se might have got perturbed and shaken by the rude behavior of Maharashtra police against their representatives, who include the former chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu. Should Maharashtra police rude behavior be construed as an insult of Telugus? The TDP leadership may claim it, but one should look at this contentious water-row issue between the two states in right perspective. None should look at it for their narrow needs.

The main Opposition Telugu Desam party members, consisting of MLAs and MPs, besides other activists, wanted to force enter into Maharashtra to see their Babli project on river Godavari. They chose to travel in buses to reach the project site. Having given enough publicity in media over the TDP leaders visit to Babli project, the farming community in Maharashtra too apparently geared up to resist. And, the Maharashtra assembly to witnessed pandemonium as the all parties, cutting across their affiliations, demanded action against the ‘invading’ TDP members from across the borders.

In such a scenario, what’s the responsibility of the party government in power? Shouldn’t it do whatever it has to? Precisely, that’s what the Ashok Chavan headed Cong-NCP coalition government in Maharashtra has done. Yet, the reports of police roughing up people’s representatives from across the borders could have been restrained. Yet, that’s the way Indian police functions.

Having said that I also ponder over how far our own Opposition party’s act is justified? This was in the wake of state chief minister K Rosaiah reportedly taken appointment with the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh of a delegation-led by him and including the Opposition leader, to discuss this contentious issue. As a matter of fact, as a responsible Chief Minister, Rosaiah had also appealed to Naidu to call off his party’s bust yatra. But, un-relenting Naidu went ahead with his party colleagues.

Every political party will have its agenda and it is no secret that the TDP’s decision to go ahead with bus yatra to kick up a fresh row over Babli on the eve of bypolls to 12 assembly constituencies in Telangana had twin objectives – one to win over the electorate of Telangana as they as real champs of their cause and the second being to dilute/divert the media focus on ongoing Odarpu Yatra of Kadapa MP, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. Whether, it could succeed its objective or not may be known only after the polls outcome. Of course, the TDP indeed accomplished one of the above mentioned objectives to ensure dilution in coverage of Cong MP’s Odarpu Yatra.

In that backdrop, I have my own doubts over the TDP’s genuine concern over Maharashtra’s illegal construction of projects over river Godavari. Does Naidu, who headed the state as chief minister for nine long years that certain procedures had to be followed to sort out such inter-state disputes? Hadn’t he in the past argued the way the Congress doing now, while he was Chief Minister, on Almatti issue with Karnataka? The Forums to find solutions to such contentious inter-state issues are either the Central Water Commission or Supreme Court. Or else, the inter-states disputes can as well be sorted out by the Centre by convening a meeting of both disputed states involved in the row for an amicable settlement. In the past, such a water row between neighboring Tamil Nadu and Karantaka was amicably settled with timely intervention of then NDA government headed by none other Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Even in the present Babli case, the TDP delegation which met the Prime Minister in the past could have hammered out similar method to convince Maharahstra. Thus far, I feel the TDP had failed to play a responsible Opposition role. To meet their narrow political benefits and tried to score a point or two over the ruling governments in the state and at the Centre, besides in Maharashtra.

Does TDP also wanted to prove that it is more concerned than the separatist Telangana Rashtra Samiti as far as farming community of the region is concerned? Though, it had no courage to openly say, such intention apparently exists in its agenda list. Contrary to this, the TRS, which is making every effort to retain all the 12 resigned seats to pressurize the Centre over state bifurcation, though shown lip sympathy in condemning the Maharashtra police rude behavior with TDP members, unable to realize the fact of that party’s effort to hijack its farmers’ cause?

Hence, I as a political analyst feel, all characters in the row –Maharashtra, TDP and the Centre – are equally at fault in finding a solution. If the TDP had ‘complicated’ the issue and also created a wedge between Marathas and Andhras, the Centre chose to remain a silent spectator to all this drama!