Did the Modi factor push YSRC leaders to resign a day before?

Bangalore, Aug 11: YSR Congress (YSRC) leaders Jaganmohan Reddy and YS Vijayamma have resigned as the members of the Lok Sabha and Andhra Pradesh assembly, respectively.

It is 11 days after the UPA government at the Centre gave nod to the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh that the YSRC leaders, who had floated the new party after a clash with the Congress High Command, decided to quit. And the decision to quit came just a day before BJP leader Narendra Modi's crucial tour of Hyderabad. Is this just a coincidence?

Jagan and his mother suddenly became active because of the political compulsion. Following the decision to bifurcate Andhra, violence has gripped the coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema regions where severe anti-Congress sentiments can be witnessed and they refuse to die down. There is a serious speculation that the loss of Hyderabad as the capital and division of natural resources like water will put Andhra Pradesh in problem.

Jagan has found a golden opportunity in this brewing trouble. His party has a strong base in southern Andhra Pradesh and the fear that the bifurcation will lead to stagnation of the southern parts has encouraged his party to gather a political momentum.

Other parties like TDP and BJP have also chipped in to gain political mileage. So, how can the YSRC sit back and watch?

The arrival of Modi in Hyderabad has made things more interesting for after the creation of Telangana, the BJP might focus more on the other state and symapthise with its people. Jagan and his mother made a pre-emptive move before Modi speaks his first word to ensure their support for the people here.

The YSRC leadership also suspects that the Congress will conspire against it by trying to include two more Rayalaseema districts in the newly formed Telangana. This has also compelled Jagan and his mother to make a desperate move. Recently, Jagan's sister Sharmila covered nearly 3,000 kilometres to protest the creation of Telangana, saying it was a political ploy.

With the crucial parliamentary and assembly polls scheduled next year, the YSRC can not afford not to utilise the statehood issue against the Congress, which it has cornered in the state politics.

The Congress, on the other hand, has said that the decision to create Telangana was taken to give a final shape to the talks that were being held since the days of YSR Rajashekhara Reddy, the late chief minister of Andhra and father of Jagan. It said the YSRC leaders must understand that the decision worked in favour of what the former CM had sought.

OneIndia News