It is quite obvious that Congress is cultivating Chiranjeevi to keep Jagan under check. They are projecting Chiru as a counter to Jagan and is planning to use his popularity to garner votes in by-elections and probably beyond. Donning different roles is nothing new to Chiru and now he has accepted this new part under the direction of veteran director Congress. Is he wise doing so? Will the shake-hand with Congress prove “Dhritarashtra’s embrace” for Chiru in the long run? Let us examine.
As the weeks roll by, it is becoming apparent that high command is becoming tougher and tougher day by day against Jagan. Jagan realized that while his bravado brought him admirers outside the party (Look how he was received in Nalgonda on Wednesday), it is distancing him further away from high command. Not many in the party, including his father’s erstwhile followers, are ready to sail with him. Watching this, high command became more dictatorial. It is not even spelling out reason – even a dubious one - why it denied Jagan permission to tour Andhra region.
I have been watching politics over decades and I can quote many instances, where Delhi high command resorts to foolhardy actions based on false and motivated reports that result in damage to their own party interests in state. Some so-called leaders thrive on carrying tales back and forth and they try to fish in troubled waters. Many times Delhi plays into their hands and pays the price heavily.
Jagan must have realized by now that CMship is not an instant food available on racks. To prove himself a leader, he needs to fight for his position both in the party and in the public. (Don’t ask me which is first and which is later, it varies from case to case). He admitted that there was no dearth of people inimical to his growth. So it is his duty to identify them and win them over by means -fair or foul. His legacy, his money and his paraphernalia is useful only up to certain point. Beyond that, the path is narrow and he has to make politically correct statements with restraint. But as of now, while Jagan’s bitterness and frustration is showing high command’s arrogance is also showing.
If Jagan makes politics his main vocation and plays his card well, without losing public sympathy high command riding high at present, might step down to embrace him. After all, only a strongman is respected and feared in the world. And as the adage goes – “Fate favors the Dare.” Jagan’s father YSR was always looked down upon as a trouble-maker and a thorn in the bed for CMs. No one ever thought that one day he would be No.1 in the state. After three decades of political career he could create an opportunity for himself by undertaking Padayatra. Many leaders before him undertook such yatras (Chandrasekhar walked through length and breadth of India but achieved nothing except for blisters) but this one clicked because the political situation was ripe for a change then.
Similarly, if Jagan waits till ripening of the situation, things might work for him. But his detractors are not allowing him to wait till then. They are afraid that if he comes to power at an young age, their hopes will be dashed at least for two decades. So they want to make light of his importance and want to make him politically irrelevant. They would like to see that by 2014, Jagan would not be in the reckoning at all as CM candidate. This suits Delhi’s designs. They do not want another YSR in a state, who looked obedient but did not yield. They are looking for someone more pliable. Jagan seems to be obstinate by their standards and if he really gathers public support, it would be thorny for Delhi to handle him.
Even while denouncing Jagan, high command knows that Jagan has a backing of certain sections of public and he might be capable of encashing upon his father’s image, at least in some districts. They also know that Rosaiah, however great administrator he is, cannot haul votes for the party. Vote-catching is a different trait altogether and Congress needs someone whose face can pull the crowds for the meetings and voters to the booth. Since they want to confine Jagan to the barracks they needed another war-horse and their eyes fell on Chiranjeevi. (to be continued)
MBS Prasad
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