If at all the Telugu Desam Party-led National Democratic Alliance comes to power in Andhra Pradesh after the results are declared on June 4, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu may find it tough to implement his welfare schemes he had announced during the elections.
For, the Bharatiya Janata Party which is a partner in the TDP-Jana Sena alliance in the state, is not taking kindly to the freebies announced by the alliance during the elections and has kept itself away from the common manifesto.
It was once again evident from the latest statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He strongly opposed the promise made by the Congress party to provide free travel for women in state-run road transport corporation buses.
The Congress, which first made the promise and implemented in Karnataka and later in Telangana, has been making similar promise in other states as well.
Interestingly, in Andhra Pradesh, too, the TDP made the same promise and included it in the common manifesto.
Now, it will be definitely opposed by Modi, who is highly critical of such a scheme.
“In many states, the metro trains are running empty due to the free bus travel facility being provided to women. How can the metro rail facility sustain in such an event and how can the country progress?” he asked.
The Prime Minister also said the free bus travel scheme for women will result in traffic problems and also cause environmental hazards.
“In fact, no state government has the right to deny revenue to the exchequer with such free schemes which are introduced only to win votes in the elections,” he observed.
Now, with the TDP also making such a promise and announcing several freebies that cause huge burden on the state exchequer, it will be interesting to see whether Modi will approve of the same or remain firm on his resistance to them.
Of course, all this is subject to the TDP coming to power in Andhra Pradesh. Let us wait till June 4.