The YSR Congress Party chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 10.30 am on Tuesday. This has triggered speculation about the YSRCP joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.
According to sources, the Prime Minister is likely to invite Jagan’s party into the NDA. That this is the second visit of the AP CM in the last two weeks assumes significance in the light of this political development. Jagan was in Delhi on a two-day visit on 22 September and during this stay he had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in what had given currency to the speculation of his party inching closer to joining the NDA.
Sources said that Jagan had a preliminary round of discussions with Amit Shah then on the prospects of YSRCP joining the NDA. Meanwhile, VDA Associates, a data analytics firm involved in election surveys, tweeted on Monday: “BJP has reportedly offered 2 cabinet and 1 Minister of State (Independent) to YSRCP. Jagan asked to rush to Delhi for exclusive talks with PM Modi.”
The BJP realizes the strength of Jagan’s party in Parliament. With 22 MP seats, the YSRCP is the fourth largest national party. Jagan’s political outfit has six MPs in Rajya Sabha, which is another reason why the BJP is inviting it to the NDA fold.
Meanwhile, Jagan Mohan Reddy reached New Delhi on Monday and participated in the apex council meet over Krishna River water sharing. The YSRCP MPs, however, say that YSRCP joining NDA may not be possible at this juncture. In any case, the issue of YSRC joining the NDA will be decided by this weekend.
Recently, its old alliance partner Shiromani Akali Dal parted ways with the BJP and NDA over the passage of controversial three agriculture bills passed in Parliament.
But the YSRCP supported the agricultural bills in both houses of Parliament signaling intent of friendship with the ruling alliance at the Centre. The Jagan government also accepted the option given by the Modi government for going in for additional borrowings to offset the GST compensation payment by the Centre, though more than 12 states, including Telangana, opposed the same.
Jagan also accepted the Modi government’s condition to implement power sector reforms as part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat package, including fixing of meters to the agriculture sector to enhance its borrowing limits.
Though the BJP has an absolute majority in Lok Sabha, it still needs the support of alliance partners in the NDA for the smooth passage of any bill in Rajya Sabha. The YSRCP MPs will give the NDA needed support once the party becomes part of the NDA. Since Modi has to fill up the vacancies in the cabinet after quitting its alliance partners, he might offer the same to the YSRCP MPs.
But the advisor to the government of Andhra Pradesh, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said, “There is no such proposal to join NDA with us. State’s benefits are more important to us than positions or posts. Jagan will raise the state issues and special state and explain the financial condition of the state to the centre.”
BJP leader Lanka Dinakar told The Daily Guardian, “It is common, as a Chief Minister of the State YS Jagan Mohan Reddy can meet either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any other central ministers with prior appointment for the sake of state development.”
“I feel there is no specific political reason for Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tour to Delhi, We should not give much hype or priority on the basis of unnecessary stories circulating in the social media and if anything is there, that would have been announced by him officially,” he added.