Hectic activity that is characteristic of election season is missing in this ancestral village of former Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao.
Bereft of any posters, flexi-boards or flags of political parties, the village, with a population of 6,000, cries for attention as it lacks the much-needed irrigation source to irrigate the parched farm lands abutting tiled houses that compete with the RCC structures.
“Two days ago, the local Congress MLA A. Praveen Reddy visited the village. The tour went largely unnoticed,” said Bathini Balaiah, a farm labourer, summing up the low profile electioneering. “We are yet to see other party nominees,” adds Ullal Ramesh, former upa -sarpanch.
But, most locals say there would be a bitter fight between the Congress and the TRS. The TDP-BJP combine appears to have failed to make a significant impact among the voters.
During a visit to Vangara on Tuesday, this correspondent saw little political activi-ty, with the villagers leisurely going about their routine. Once a Congress stronghold, the village returned TRS candidate as sarpanch in elections held last year.
The strong statehood sentiment saw the TRS making inroads but the sarpanch and others switched their loyalties to get government funds as the local MLA enjoyed good rapport with the then Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy.
The village, which falls in Bheemadevarpally mandal of Husnabad Assembly constituency, has the facilities expected of a developed village. But, it pales into insignificance if one takes into account development witnessed in the native villages of top State politicians.
Severe power cuts have added to the misery of the small and marginal farmers as they face the prospects of losing standing crops. If certain bore wells have enough ground water, erratic power supply makes their lives miserable. Of 6,300 acres of fertile land, only 3,200 are under cultivation – they are wholly dependent on bore and dug wells. Paddy, maize and cotton are the principal crops grown in the village.
Notwithstanding facilities such as residential schools, a government hospital and a veterinary hospital (with villagers tending cows to supply milk to Mulkanoor dairy), the lack of irrigation is an issue that remains unresolved. Ironically, several streets in the village lack CC roads.
There a sense of expectancy among the locals. The sarpanch, 25-year-old Kalva Sunita, hopes that the creation of the new State would end their suffering.
But, she has her own doubts whether the promises made by politicians would be fulfilled. As The Hindu got into a conversation with her, villagers joined in to relate their ordeal.
“We are all small and marginal farmers belonging to the weaker sections. People from backward classes are in overwhelming number, but power always lies in the hands of influential community here. If they had not acted with vested interest, the village would have witnessed unprecedented development. None can blame the late P.V. Narasimha Rao as he had directed the State Government to sanction sufficient funds for taking up developmental programmes,” K. Sampath, a farmer remarked.
P.V. Manohar Rao, younger brother of the late PM echoed similar sentiments, saying that lack of will among the local leaders had left Vangara crying for attention. “He was instrumental in getting funds but the local leaders were just not interested in developing the village,” Mr. Manohar Rao lamented.
