Behind The Scene: People, rain and Congress

The main Opposition Telugu Desam has been announcing a series of pre-poll sops, some of which it had opposed while in power. The Congress too has announced a number of sops.

The TD is not worried about the sops announced by the Congress. After all it believes, like the Congress too, that people take such promises with a pinch of salt. But what is worrying the Telugu Desam leadership is the strong belief that is growing in the public that Congress rule means good rains.

After seven drought years in Telugu Desam's nine years of rule, the State is witnessing fourth consecutive year of good rains. The Congress is praying the Almighty that one more year of good rain and this will put the divine seal on the people's belief that there will be good monsoon only during the Congress regime.

This is precisely the factor why Chandrababu Naidu has been coming out with more sops, though the ruling Congress has already stopped making them. For Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, it's the rains and not the sops that will tilt the poll balance. Opposition leader and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu knows this and is going full hammer and tongs on the Congress government raking up issues like corruption. But people do not take corruption charges seriously, because they know where there are politicians there's bound to be some financial irregularities.