Factionism
The peculiar phenomenon of factionism in Rayalaseema dates back to the time of the Vijayanagara Empire. Village chieftains known as Poligars (to be clear Paalegarlu) were crucial for the survival of the kingdom. Vijayanagara rulers depended upon these chieftains for military support in times of crisis and granted a fair degree of autonomy. The British tried to eradicate factionism in the region by executing a couple of the chieftains publicly, but failed . Land reforms to distribute land and wealth usurped by Palegars have met limited success, which resulted in another violent phenomenon known as Naxalism. Factionism has political patronage and is a flourishing activity today.
Factionism has been hindering the growth of Rayalaseema. Even today, many politicians or their families are associated with factionism, spends their valuable time and resources to retaliate with their opponents. For maintaining their activities, they indulge in rowdyism and are asking commissions (or percentages) from the government projects. Because of this, some government projects (such as the new broad gauge railway line, irrigation related work etc.) were stopped or postponed. If any government servant does not listen to these factionists, they are terminated.
Read more about this topic: Rayalaseema