While delivering the inaugural address of the7 State’s Interim Budget, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy made a statement that is being seen by many as a veiled attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre.
For the first time since he became Chief Minister, Mr. Reddy has made a statement that hints at the apathy of the Union government in giving Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh. He said that he wishes that no party comes to power with an absolute majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, as this leaves the State with little bargaining power. “A Central government dependent on the State would have conceded to our demands,” he said. Mr. Reddy added that Andhra would have tried to secure the SCS through all possible means, including by approaching the court, had the assurance of SCS been incorporated in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
This is an unusually aggressive posture by the Chief Minister against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Though Mr. Reddy had made SCS one of his main poll planks in 2019, he has been soft-pedalling the issue since, as his YSR Congress Party has always tried to maintain a good relationship with Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The YSRCP has supported the National Democratic Alliance both within and outside Parliament. Many Opposition leaders believe that though the YSRCP is not part of the NDA, it has more or less served as a loyal ally.
