Published Aug 22, 2022 | 4:44 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 22, 2022 | 4:44 PM
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. (Jagan Mohan/Twitter)
Amidst the fast-changing political mosaic in Andhra Pradesh after the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Hyderabad on Sunday, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in Delhi on Monday, 22 August, and discussed several issues pertaining to the state.
Though it is not clear what transpired between the two leaders on the political developments in his home state, the speculation mill has been running overtime that the chief minister may have requested some clarity on possible political alliances the BJP might have in the state with opposition parties.
A day earlier, BJP’s “master political strategist” Shah had met with popular Telugu film star Jr NTR, the grandson of late NTR — the founder of the TDP, which is Jagan Reddy’s principal opposition in Andhra Pradesh — setting off ripples in political circles in both states.
Though the TDP’s vote bank in Telangana shrunk to just three percent in the 2018 polls, BJP leaders are of the view that even a small addition to their expected vote share of around 30 percent from multiple partnerships would help tilt the scales against the ruling TRS and its leader, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
The speculation in Hyderabad was that Shah was making an attempt to rope in Jr NTR to campaign for the BJP in the upcoming Munugode bypoll and later in the Assembly elections scheduled for late 2023 in a bid to entice the Kamma voters among Andhra settlers in Telangana who owe allegiance to the TDP.
Jr NTR was a star campaigner for the TDP in the 2009 general election, even though the party had fared poorly then. He, however, is reported to have a strained relationship with TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, NTR’s son-in-law who had ousted him from chief ministership in 1995.
While officially the BJP contended that Shah met with Jr NTR to congratulate him on the success of his film RRR, analysts wondered what the BJP No. 2 could have offered the star in return for any favour he may grant. Whatever it may be, it could have an impact on Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, official sources indicated that the other issues that Jagan Mohan had raised included special category status, the release of funds to fill the resource gap for the Polavaram Project, and the implementation of the promises made in the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act, 2014.
The chief minister had sought immediate release of ₹2,900 crore which the state government had spent on the Polavaram Project from its resources, and ratification of the revised estimate of the project which is pegged at ₹55,548.87 crore.
The chief minister wanted the Centre to do away with the present practice of reimbursing the amount spent component-wise in the construction of the Polavaram project, and instead release the funds in accordance with the total amount spent by the government, regardless of which component.
He drew the prime minister’s attention to the fact that this was the method followed in respect of other national projects.
He also sought an ad-hoc grant of ₹10,000 crore to speed up the Polavaram Project works and release of ₹32,625.25 crore under resources gap funding for Polavaram.
Jagan Mohan Reddy sought the prime minister’s intervention to make Telangana Discoms pay ₹6,756 crore which they had fallen in arrears after the division of the state om 2014. As the issue has been hanging fire for the last eight years, he requested early action to save the Discoms which are gasping for resources.
He also drew the prime minister’s attention to the need for allocation of beach sand areas in the state to AP Mineral Development Corporation which has been pending with the Centre for quite a long time. He told Modi that this was a sunrise sector and had the potential of attracting up to ₹20,000 crore investment.
Interestingly, the chief minister sought steps for slashing the rice quota given to the state under the National Food Security Mission to 77,000 tonnes from the present three lakh tonnes as most of the rice was going waste.
