The BJP has many reasons to be bold enough to set its sights on grabbing power in Andhra Pradesh. One reason is the massive mandate given by the AP voters to YS Jaganmohan Reddy. It is because however mighty Jagan Reddy may be, his final destiny is in the hands of the Central Government. With this confidence only, some BJP national leaders have already brought pressure on the AP CM to merge his party. It goes without saying what happens if Jagan Reddy refuses. The BJP may use the CBI cases to send him to jail again. ABN Radha Krishna, in his latest Weekend Comment, says that CM Jagan has clearly rejected the BJP proposal and also gave enough hints about his having his own alternatives in the event of the Centre taking the extreme step against him.
It was really confusing how the BJP, which got around 0.5 per cent vote share, was planning to use its power at the Centre to gain control in the AP political scene. It brought enormous pressure on the TDP for merger but Chandrababu Naidu fought against it and is still leading his party struggle against both the BJP and Jagan Reddy’s ultimate oppression. Going by the emerging scene, the BJP would be left with no alternative but to go all out against CM Jagan if it has to gain a little strength. If that happens, Jagan has prepared the ground for making his wife Bharati as his successor. Towards this objective, the CM has already alerted his close confidantes and top leaders about preparing to meet any adversity in future.
Right now, CM Jagan is concerned only with his political future and not thinking about anything else. He has simply refused to consider a proposal recently when an opportunity came up for AP to get a bulk drug park. KTR immediately began lobbying with the Centre to get the project for its multi-crore investments and thousands of jobs for youth. Whereas, AP CM is giving full freedom for Adani and Ambani in the hope of getting their support if everything goes wrong. RK asks whether the BJP, which wants to expand its power base all over, will allow such things to happen eventually.
