YSRCP leaders hit back at the BJP leaders Amit Shah and JP Nadda for their 'unwarranted and uncharitable' criticism of the state government.
Published Jun 13, 2023 | 1:57 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 13, 2023 | 1:57 PM
AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy during a Cabinet meeting. (File picture)
In a Pavlovian reflex action, the YSRCP leaders hit back at the BJP top leaders Amit Shah and JP Nadda for their “unwarranted and uncharitable” criticism of the state government, after praising it for its progress and accomplishment in various sectors all through the years.
Though Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was not harsh on the BJP except to say that he was not banking on its support in his battle with the TDP at a public meeting on Monday, 12 June, he left the job that had to be done — excoriating the BJP — to his ministers, apparently to set the record straight.
The BJP leaders’ broadside against the YSRCP came in the backdrop of their tete-a-tete with TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu recently, where they are understood to have discussed the broad contours of a possible electoral alliance.
Then, on Saturday, BJP president JP Nadda described the YSRCP government as one of the most corrupt in the country, while addressing a public meeting at Srikalahasti in the Tirupati district.
In the same vein, Union Home Minister Amit Shah wondered what happened to all the “lakhs of crores of rupees given to the state”, addressing a public meeting in Visakhapatnam, the very next day.
The YSRCP ministers who went for the duo’s guts included K Venkata Nageswara Rao (Civil Supplies), K Satyanarayana (Endowments), G Amarnath (Industries), and TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy.
Nageswara Rao recalled how the Centre had praised the state for doing well on various economic parameters and the education front.
“How can you make corruption allegations against us… even though the government was ensuring that money in thousands of crores of rupees was flowing into the state exchequer? Did it ever happen under the TDP rule?” he asked.
Satyanarayana lashed out at the BJP leaders, saying that their criticism of the state was like the pot calling the kettle black.
“You had promised to deposit ₹15 lakh into the bank accounts of every citizen of India, after flushing out black money stashed away abroad. Did you do it?” he asked.
Amarnath, hitting out at the Centre for its proposal to privatise the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, recalled as many as 23,000 farmers giving 26,000 acres of land for setting up the plant, for the prosperity of the north Andhra region.
Instead of honouring the sentiment of the people, the BJP leaders were making wild allegations against the ruling party, the chief minister, and the state government’s schemes, he said.
TTD Chairman Subba Reddy reacted on Monday itself by saying that the BJP leaders were speaking against the government after walking into the trap laid by the TDP.
He said Shah and Nadda did not give any answers on the promises they made to Andhra Pradesh.
It appears the broadside against the YSRCP by the BJP is an indication that it was positioning itself as an Opposition party in the state.
Though at the state level, the BJP leaders have been targeting YSRCP it was for the first time that the central leaders came down on harshly on the government, stunning the YSRCP leadership.
The BJP is likely to further intensify its attack on the YSRCP to establish itself on Andhra soil as an Opposition party and also to dispel any notion that it had a secret pact with the YSRCP.
In fact, Jagan Mohan Reddy never wanted to wear his love for the BJP on his sleeve, lest the Muslim minorities should abandon him.
According to one analyst, the BJP’s stand, if it is some kind of a charade, might help the YSRCP as it would dispel the notion that it was moving closer to the saffron party.
If not, Jagan Mohan Reddy would have to brace for a bigger fight in the Assembly elections next year, as there is a possibility of the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP troika materialising and challenging him.
