YSRCP breaks ranks with the Opposition, says it will attend Parliament opening; no word from TDP

Interestingly, there is still no word on whether the Opposition TDP in Andhra Pradesh — which has been making overtures to the BJP for a grand alliance, including the Jana Sena, BJP and itself, against the YSRCP — will attend the event.

What Jagan said

In his tweet on Wednesday, Jagan congratulated Prime Minister Modi for “for dedicating the grand, majestic and spacious Parliament building to the nation”.

I congratulate @narendramodi ji for dedicating the grand, majestic and spacious Parliament building to the nation. Parliament, being the temple of democracy, reflects our nation’s soul and belongs to the people of our country and all the political parties. Boycotting such an…

— YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (@ysjagan) May 24, 2023

“Parliament, being the temple of democracy, reflects our nation’s soul and belongs to the people of our country and all the political parties. Boycotting such an auspicious event is not in the true spirit of democracy,” he said.

“Setting aside all differences, I request that all political parties attend this glorious event. In the true spirit of democracy, my party will attend this historic event.”

In fact, Jagan will be in Delhi on 27 May, a day ahead of the inauguration, to attend the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting, but it is not known if he would extend his stay by one more day and attend the event, or depute his MPs.

YSRCP equation with BJP

That the YSRC has never been at loggerheads with the BJP since the beginning of its tenure is quite evident.

After Jagan took over as chief minister of the state in 2019, he has been on friendly terms with the saffron party and supported the national ruling dispensation on all its crucial bills in Parliament.

Another reason why he seeks to be on the side of the BJP is that he does not want his political rival, the TDP, to gain any new strength by establishing channels of communication with Prime Minister Modi, which it has been attempting to do lately.

As he does not want the TDP to come to power in the state in the elections next year, he does not want to lose any opportunity which would help him cut the “yellow party” down to size.

Getting central benefits

Another reason why Jagan has maintained camaraderie with the BJP is that he needs a lot of financial support to Andhra Pradesh whose economy has been in a tailspin ever since the bifurcation of the state in 2014.

Then there are several thorny issues with Telangana that cannot be resolved without the Centre’s help.

When TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, cried foul over the nonpayment of compensation due to the state towards revenue deficit of 2014-15, the Centre turned a deaf ear.

But, in a surprise move, it recently released ₹10,460 crore under this head.

The boycotting Opposition

Interestingly, the stance of the BRS in neighbouring Telangana is still not clear, but given its opposition to the BJP, it may join hands with the rest of the Opposition parties in boycotting the event.

“The BRS will take a call on Thursday (25 May) as to whether or not it would attend the ceremony,” party leader K Keshava Rao told PTI.

Understandably, the names of the three Telugu parties were missing from the statement signed jointly by the 19 Opposition parties.

The signatories to the statement were the Congress, Trinamool Congress, DMK, Janata Dal (United), AAP, CPI(M), CPI, Swaraj Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian Union Muslim League, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference, Kerala Congress (M), Revolutionary Socialist Party (India), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

What is the Opposition objection?

The Opposition parties have termed the decision by Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate the new Parliament building as an “undignified act” that insulted the high office of the President.

नए संसद भवन के उद्घाटन के अवसर पर राष्ट्रपति द्रौपदी मुर्मू जी को पूरी तरह से दरकिनार करना न केवल महामहिम का अपमान है बल्कि लोकतंत्र पर सीधा हमला भी है।

जब लोकतंत्र की आत्मा को ही संसद से निष्कासित कर दिया गया है, तो हमें नई इमारत में कोई मूल्य नहीं दिखता। हम नए संसद भवन के… pic.twitter.com/TTJnNFC2rG

— Congress (@INCIndia) May 24, 2023

In their statement, they said: “Prime Minister Modi’s decision to inaugurate the new Parliament building by himself, completely sidelining President Murmu, is not only a grave insult but a direct assault on our democracy, which demands a commensurate response.”

The parties noted that the President was not only the Head of the State in India, but also an integral part of Parliament as she summons, prorogues, and addresses joint session in it.

“In short, Parliament cannot function without the President. Yet, the prime minister has decided to inaugurate the new Parliament building without her,” they noted.

“This undignified act insults the high office of the President and violates the letter and spirit of the Constitution. It undermines the spirit of inclusion which saw the nation celebrate its first woman Adivasi president,” the parties said.