SCS To AP: BJP Calls TDP After YSRCP Steps Up Agitation

YSR Congress Party led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy intensified its protest against injustice meted out to Andhra Pradesh by the Centre with respect to fulfillment of promises made at the time of bifurcation.

It is a known fact that YS Jagan has been relentlessly fighting for granting of special category status (SCS) to AP. To give a boost to his partymen, the YSRCP chief in fact, took a day's break from his Praja Sankalpa Yatra to be with his partymen and work out strategies to bring pressure on the Centre.

It is also widely known that a special train is leaving to Delhi from Vijayawada for this purpose. The members will stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on March 5. It is worth recalling that YS Jagan had decisively declared that if the efforts of the party don't yield fruits then his party MPs would resign. In fact,he called on all parties to join hands to ensure justice for the state as Special Category Status would bring in a slew of benefits to AP.

It now appears as if their efforts seem to be paying off. In a latest development BJP President Amit Shah on Friday spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu over phone, hours after his Telugu Desam Party decided to intensify its fight over the Centre not honouring the commitments made to the state. The TDP was caught in a bind as YS Jagan wrested the initiative on the issue of SCS. Chandrababu has changed his stance on SCS in a chameleon-like manner. If anything, his stand has been marked by inconsistency.

Amit Shah is reported to have called up the TDP chief and invited him for talks over the commitments made at the time of bifurcation of the state. Naidu conveyed to the BJP chief that he will send a delegation led by Union Minister Sujana Chowdary.

According to TDP sources, Naidu made it clear that there will be no compromise on the commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. He conveyed to Shah that the TDP's fight was not against the BJP but for justice to the state.

The BJP President called up Naidu a couple of hours after the TDP Parliamentary Party meeting chaired by Naidu decided to step up the fight over the raw deal meted out to the state in Union Budget 2018-19.

The TDP, a partner in BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, had stalled proceedings in Parliament during the first leg of the budget session and is gearing up to continue the protest in the second leg, beginning next week. However, the TDP reaction seems to be a response to the YSRCP's agitation across the state. With YS Jagan clearly stating that the party's Lok Sabha MPs would resign on April 6, if SCS is not granted to the state, the TDP has little room to maneouvre.

TDP MP Galla Jayadev told reporters after the meeting that if the Finance Bill is not amended to make allocations to the state to fulfil the commitments, the party will oppose it. The big question now, though is what were the Telugu Desam MPs and its union ministers doing at the time that Jaitley presented the Union budget? Weren't they thumping their desks?

Jayadev said since the Centre had promised to extend all assistance under the special package, the TDP had agreed for the same but as nothing has been done so far, they were pressing for their original demand of special category status. The MP said the party decided to take the issue to the national level by writing letters to all the parties, their floor leaders and MPs. Sounds quite lame, but the TDP had to come out with a token response.

"If necessary we will go to the court," said the Lok Sabha member.Now? When the election bugle is to be sounded?

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh State Planning Commission Vice-Chairman Kutumba Rao, who along with TDP MP Rammohan Naidu met Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday, said the talks were disappointing. What were they doing all this while? Does it make sense to say that the talks were disappointing after four long years?