YSR Indian National Congress Party leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is said to be keen on joining the opposition Indian Alliance at the national level, but the Indian National Congress Party, the NDA’s main partner, is not too keen on accepting him.
In a recent speech in New Delhi alleging the breakdown in law and order in the country, Jagan and his party leaders invited most of the leaders from the Indian camp, including Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (United) group’s Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi, Trinamul Congress leader Nadeem-ul-Haq, and leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party, ADMK and IUML.
Though YSRCP leaders had sent an invitation to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, he did not attend, nor did any other Congress leaders.
“I don’t know the reason why Congress leaders were absent. It would have been better if the Congress had also supported us,” Jagan said.
Apparently, Jagan felt that Naidu, through his protege and Telangana PCC president A. Revanth Reddy, was influencing Congress leaders to ensure that the party did not support his cause.
However, sources said the BJP leadership had consulted with party leaders in Andhra Pradesh, particularly Mr Jagan’s sister Sharmila, and had concluded that the security situation in the state was not as bad as Mr Jagan had predicted.
Sharmila on Saturday posted a tweet criticising her brother for questioning the Indian National Congress for not supporting her rally in New Delhi.
“Why should the Congress Party support you? It is to play out a drama in Delhi for the survival of your party,” she asked.
Sharmila alleged that the YSRCP leader was trying to give political colour to a personal murder case.
“It is absurd that Jagan has had an illegal association with the BJP for five years and has mortgaged state benefits, including special category status, to the Central government while seeking Congress support,” she said.
She slammed Jagan for raising the issue of law and order in Andhra Pradesh while remaining silent on the killings of Christians in Manipur.
“He has never spoken out against the violence in Manipur, yet he is making noise against a non-existent situation in Andhra Pradesh,” she said.
Sharmila wanted to know why Jagan had not stood in solidarity with the Indian National Congress during previous nationwide protests against the violence in Manipur.
“Mr Jagan’s protests in New Delhi are only in his personal interest and not in the interest of the country,” she said.
Recalling Jagan’s ‘Siddham’ slogan, she wondered whether he did not have the strength to take on Naidu and hence was forced to seek support from other political parties in the country.