TDP joins Andhra rival YSRCP in breaking ranks with Opposition on new Parliament inauguration

Interestingly, in Andhra Pradesh, both YSRCP and TDP do not see eye to eye but when it comes to attending the event in Delhi, they are on the same page.

Also read: Eatala Rajender rules out leadership change in the Telangana BJP

Opposition parties to boycott

On Wednesday, 19 anti-BJP parties announced that they would boycott the event as they felt the inauguration of the new building by Modi amounted to an insult to President Droupadi Murmu, who is Head of the State.

Meanwhile, the BRS in neighbouring Telangana is yet to take a call on whether or not to attend the event, though it looks like it might join hands with the Opposition parties in boycotting the event.

BRS supremo and Telangana Cheif minister K Chandrashekar Rao is a vocal critic of the BJP and has been campaigning against it like no other Opposition leader is doing.

According to sources, the party leadership is caught on the horns of a dilemma as supporting the Opposition’s demand might give rise to the question as to why the BRS had not invited Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to the inauguration of the ultra-modern new secretariat building that has come up in Hyderabad.

A statement is expected to be issued by the party sooner than later.

Also read: 19 Opposition parties to boycott inauguration by PM Modi

TDP eyeing a BJP alliance, YSRCP wants funds

As for the YSRCP and the TDP, neither party is in a position to rub Prime Minister Modi or the BJP the wrong way.

Both the parties have to face the elections which will be like an Armageddon for them next year, they want to have the backing of the national party though it has no presence in Andhra Pradesh.

The TDP is trying to persuade the BJP to be part of the TDP-Jana Sena alliance to prevent the split in the anti-YSRCP vote as the electoral challenge will be a do-or-die battle for it.

Already, the TDP is struggling to keep its cadres intact under the continuous pounding by the YSRCP.

In a recent media conclave, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu had gone out of his way to hail Modi as a visionary who was leading the country on the path to greatness — quite forgetting his trenchant criticism of the same man earlier.

Related: Is TDP chief Naidu’s U-turn on Modi a sign of desperation?

For Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, Modi’s help is a sine qua non as the state has been struggling financially after its bifurcation in 2014.

The much-needed balm for the bifurcation wounds is still elusive and unless the YSRCP is pally with the BJP, it would not be able to handle the financial crisis triggered by the loss of Hyderabad to Telangana at the time of the division of the state.

The Centre has to go a long way still in hand holding the state.

It released ₹10,460 crore a few days ago as part of bridging the revenue deficit the state sustained in 2014-15 and the state government expects more such manna in the future.