Jagan plans a Third Front of those opposed to smaller states

Is YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy going in the direction of forging a third front? The political circles here feel that the young politico who has been opposing bifurcation of the state is making quick moves in that direction.

Party sources feel that as a first step Jagan was meeting leaders of national parties and was trying to mobilise as much support as possible to oppose the creation of smaller states and try to stall the draft T Bill in parliament. YSRCP, sources say that he would like to bring all likeminded parties on one platform and maintain a distance from the UPA and the BJP-led NDA in the next elections.

He has already met CPI national leader Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury in Delhi on Saturday to seek their support to oppose the Telangana Bill parliament.

Jagan, who is waiting for permission from the court to go round various states, will soon meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and apprise her of the political situation in the state. He would also explain to her the Congress and BJP’s opportunistic politics on the division of state and offer his support against the pending proposal to carve Kongu Nadu, a region in the western part of Tamil Nadu. This demand had been there for over a decade and Jayalalithaa had been strongly opposing it. In return, he would seek her support to oppose the T Bill in parliament, sources claim.

Jagan would also meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and will urge him to oppose the draft T Bill. He would offer his support to Nitish in his efforts to oppose carving of Mithilanchal comprising Maithili speaking regions of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Similarly, The YSR party leader would meet Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and UP Chief minister Akilesh Yadav who are also against creation of smaller states. It may be mentioned here that when Mayawati was the chief minister of the state, the UP Assembly had passed a resolution demanding that the state be divided into four smaller states including Bhojpur comprising areas of eastern UP, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. Proposals to create Bundelkhand state comprising parts of UP and Madhya Pradesh is also pending. Jagan, during his tour of various states, wishes to discuss the potential threat of carving more smaller states. He would try to unite all those parties which were opposed to small states and try to form a third front, the sources add. In the process, Jagan will also meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

YSRCP has already established cordial relationship with Trinamool Congress. Mamata is opposed to the division of West Bengal and carving of Gorkhaland. Following the CWC decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, the agitation for Gorkhaland got renewed raking up ethnic, linguistic and cultural sentiments of the Gorkhas.