Ever since YSR Congress party lead by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power in Andhra Pradesh in May 2019, he has been focussing mostly on implementing his welfare agenda in the name of Navaratnaaalu (Nine jewels), besides introducing new schemes to appease the masses.
In the last two years, Jagan has ensured direct benefit transfer of 1.30 lakh crore into the accounts of lakhs of beneficiaries in Andhra Pradesh.
He covered every section of the people, right from farmers, women, students, auto rickshaw drivers and lawyers to what not – belonging to SCs, STs, BCs and minorities under one scheme or the other.
They have all turned into a powerful vote bank for the YSRC. If Jagan is allowed to continue these schemes, the opposition parties would have nothing to attract the voters in the next elections.
These parties would be compelled to disclose their stand on these schemes or come out with better schemes.
But which party can promise more than what is Jagan already giving? Even if they promise, who would believe it? Jagan has left nothing for the opposition to gain an upper hand in the next elections.
So, what is the best way to attract the voters? The answer is: Jagan should be projected as a failure in implementing the welfare schemes. So, the opposition should create a situation wherein Jagan will find it tough to continue the implementation of his welfare schemes and later, blame him for ruining the state’s economy with his fancy schemes.
Apparently, the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and the Telugu Desam Party in the state seem to be adopting this strategy. As per this strategy, the Centre is going to tighten the state’s financial position so that Jagan will stop implementation of welfare schemes.
On the other hand, the TDP will take advantage of the situation and launch a vilifying campaign against the Jagan government.
The pro-TDP media is always there to carry the opposition campaign and it will ensure that Jagan will not blame the opposition for the stalling of the schemes.
This section of media will continue to write negative stories on issues related to state finances, projecting the state’s financial position in a bad light, so as to create a panic situation among the people.
At the same time, leaders who had been lying low in the BJP all these years, would use their influence among the officials in the Modi government to target the Jagan government on the state borrowings and other financial issues.
The ultimate objective of this strategy is to see that Jagan will be forced to put a halt to the welfare schemes at least for three months, so as to convince the middle class voters that the chief minister’s agenda of distributing money in the name of welfare schemes is not financially prudent.
“They want to drive home the point that Jagan cannot continue to run these schemes forever and so, the voters should not fall into the trap of his welfare agenda. This will help destabilise the Jagan government so that he would find it tough to come back to power for a second term,” a political analyst said.
If they can’t implement the strategy, Jagan will continue to implement the welfare schemes by hook or crook, going in for borrowings left, right and the centre. After five years, the beneficiaries would definitely vote for him.
Forget the state’s financial position then, it will completely damage the Telugu Desam Party and the community backing the party. That is precisely why these sections have started efforts to force Jagan to stop the schemes.
