YSRCP competing with TDP to join NDA
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
Hyderabad: Speculations in political circles are rife that the YSRCP is now competing with Telugu Desam Party to join the NDA at national level. It may be recalled that the BJP is of the opinion there was a need to strengthen the NDA government.
The party top leadership had held discussions with Akali Dal and it appears that joining of Akali Dal is a certainty. Akali Dal had quit NDA during the farmers agitation opposing the Modi government’s stand. It may be recalled that the Union Home Minister had some time back invited the TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu to Delhi and held talks with him. This led a buzz in the political circles particularly in Andhra Pradesh that BJP wants TDP to join the NDA again.
Interestingly for a long time, the TDP had also not made any negative comments against the BJP. On the other hand, the Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan had been insisting that there should be an alliance between TDP Jana Sena and BJP to defeat the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh. However, a section of the state unit of BJP does appear to be keen for an alliance with TDP.
In the backdrop of this scenario, it is now being said that the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy may hint at his willingness to be part of NDA during his visit to Delhi. Jagan is going to Delhi on Tuesday night. He is trying for an appointment with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It may be mentioned here that in 2019 Modi had offered a berth to YSRCP in the Union cabinet but Jagan felt that they should extend “issued based’ support to the Modi-led government. Though they did not join the government they had always been supporting the NDA government.
Following the defeat BJP suffered in Karnataka and as it has to face Assembly election in five states before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP feels that it should rework its strategies and not only set its house in order but also seek the support of those who were with it in NDA.
The recent split in NCP led by Sharad Pawar and the trouble that is brewing in Bihar government indicates that the BJP is making all-out efforts to make their strategy work, sources add.