New Delhi: Since the beginning of this Monsoon session of the Parliament, members of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) have been protesting outside the House for special category status for Andhra Pradesh.
However, while they continue their protests outside the Parliament, the party would be missing out on the debate on the historic no-confidence Motion (NCM) against the Narendra Modi government on Friday. The YSR MPs had, in April, put in their papers to protest against the ill-treatment meted out to Andhra Pradesh, and the Speaker accepted their resignation in June.
The party, led by Jagan Reddy, is however not dejected by the non-participation. Jagan’s supporters have in fact come out in support of the NCM. Moreover, they are happy that the NCM, “which they had started initially” has now finally been accepted.
“We were the first party ever to raise an NCM against the Modi government in the last session. Whatever we could have said tomorrow (during the NCM debate), we have been saying it for the last four years. We had all the support when we moved the motion earlier; had spoken to Congress also. The TDP also said that they will support then they moved their own motion,” said YSR member Mithun Reddy.
“Back then the Speaker rejected it. We are happy that is has now been accepted. We have always been against the BJP,” he added. It doesn’t matter which party has raised it now, he added, saying that the interests of the people of Andhra Pradesh is all that matters.
The TDP, led by Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, has occupied pole position in the opposition unity by going all out against its once upon a time ally, BJP. The YSR, for the longest time, has maintained that Naidu’s walking out of the alliance was mere political manoeuvring as he wanted to shift his anti-incumbency onto BJP. Jagan’s party still believes that the current NCM in Parliament is part of that manoeuvring too.
On standing against the BJP, Jagan had earlier said that he would side with the BJP if Andhra was granted special status. Simultaneously, he had criticised the TDP after Arun Jaitley’s budget. Jagan was castigated by many, including the TDP, saying that he had colluded with the national party to walk out of the many cases that he had against him. Jagan refuted all the allegations and said that Andhra was numero uno for him.
It’s (YSRCP) a party of jokers, TDP MP Kesineni, who moved the NCM against Modi told News18. Jagan’s party, however, believes it’s the other way around. “The TDP is the same party that had said that they were happy with BJP’s special package for the state. Now they say it is not enough. The party has made a mess of the state. We have stood by our stand,” Mithun added.
The TDP, however, is in an enviable position as it stands to gain any which way the NCM goes. It can claim victory if the state gets special status or play the do-gooder that broke off from a cheating partner. For the YSR, it is wait and watch. Had the Speaker accepted their NCM earlier, it would have been Jagan’s grand move. Timing, as they say, is everything.
It has, however, maintained that it will not play politics over Andhra special status. Mithun said that the outcome for Jagan’s padyatra has been “unbelievable.” “The next government that comes will be a coalition government and we will support whichever government signs on the dotted line for Andhra to get special category status,” he added.
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