Power-obsessed YSRCP chief lacking sense of responsibility

Andhra Pradesh is a classic example of how some leaders cannot live without power even for a day. We can’t even call them as fish out of water. May be a new word will have to be invented for them. The YSRCP which got badly mauled in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections still refuses to accept the people’s verdict and is not willing to see anything that is positive.

The biggest joke is their reaction to the Union Budget. While even the man on the street knows that the Centre had been highly considerate toward Andhra Pradesh and Bihar the two main allies of Modi 3.0 government, the YSRCP chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said Centre had given “zero” to Andhra Pradesh. In its official X account, the party said the Rs 15,000 crore funds for the capital Amaravati is nothing but a surety to be given by the Centre to get a loan.

This clearly indicates how ill informed they are or probably they do not understand economics. Between 2014 and 2019 when they had over 70 MLAs, their so called financial wizard B Rajendranath who later handled finance department used to produce some documents, some figures and pose as if the then government does not know how to manage state finances. But when his turn to manage the funds came, he failed and his main job was only to get loans left, right and centre which ruined the state economy. The situation was so pathetic that neither the government could pay salaries or pensions in time.

What one does not understand is why YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy who got 40 percent vote share does not understand that he has great responsibility to at least represent those people who sent him to Assembly with 11 members. What one fails to understand is why he is so obsessed with the status of Leader of Opposition. Will the world end for him if he does not get that status?

When the Speaker turned down his application saying that he does not have 10% of the total strength of the Assembly, he has now gone to High Court. Something which no political leader in the past had ever done so.

LoP is based on the strength of the party in the Assembly or Parliament. He claims High Court should direct Speaker to grant him that status under section 12 B. Experts say this does not apply to him. Secondly, the courts cannot direct the Speaker in this regard.

In Parliament for ten years, Congress was never given the status of LoP as they did not have required numbers. They never claimed nor did they go to court. That did not stop Rahul Gandhi from raising issues or participating in debates. Now that they have required numbers, he has been proposed and recognised as LoP. In the undivided Andhra Pradesh Assembly S Jaipal Reddy was lone Janata Party MLA but that did not stop him from raising issues very effectively. In Parliament there were many occasions when the opposition did not have strength to have LoP but that did not stop them from questioning the government and put it on mat on several issues.

So what is bugging YSRCP. This certainly is nothing but diversionary tactics. If court does not agree with his argument, he will say, since no LoP status is given, he will not attend the Assembly.

Never did anyone see such a leader in politics either in AP or at national level.

Just to refresh the memory of YSRCP leaders. It was Jaganmohan Reddy who as CM told the then LoP N Chandrababu Naidu that if he poaches about 10 of his MLAs he would lose the status of LoP. Well that being the rule position, how can he insist now that he should be given the status of LoP?