YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s statement in a national media channel that his party doors were open for an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party during the 2019 assembly elections, is considered to be a well-thought of and strategic move.
Though he has put the rider that the Centre should grant special category status if the alliance between the YSRC-BJP has to materialise, the very fact that Jagan has an open mind for alliance with the BJP itself sends a sort of positive feeler to the national party.
The fact that he has chosen a national media to make the statement itself is being viewed as a strategic move.
The BJP might give any assurance to Jagan on the special category status – it might ask the YSRC to send a fresh proposal once it comes to power on the SCS. And that is enough for Jagan to forge an alliance with the BJP.
Apparently, Jagan wants to grab the opportunity at the earliest in the wake of simmering discontent among the state BJP leaders against the Telugu Desam Party and the widening gap between the two alliance partners.
Though TDP president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is still trying to patch up with the BJP, the latter has not been very keen to continue the association in the long run.
Naturally, the Congress and the Left parties expressed their ire at Jagan’s statement.
“When the UPA has declared that it would give special category status to AP if it comes to power at the Centre this time, why should Jagan join hands with the BJP?” asked senior leader J D Seelam.
The CPI-M accused Jagan of compromising on the principles and trying for alliance with the BJP only to wriggle out of the CBI cases.
