Special Category Status for Andhra: 5 years later, Jagan in Chandrababu Naidu’s shoes

The SCS for Andhra Pradesh is one of the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, which led to the formation of Telangana in June 2014.

Riding on the SCS issue, Jagan had swept the 2019 elections, with his party winning 151 of the 175 seats and 23 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Jagan constantly raised the issue during his Praja Sankalpa Yatra, which began in Idupulapaya of Kadapa district in November 2017, and slammed Naidu for not being able to get SCS for the state. He also accused the TDP chief of going soft on the BJP despite it going back on its promise of granting SCS to Andhra Pradesh.

His attacks on the TDP over the SCS had also led to the Naidu-led party breaking ties with the BJP-led NDA government in March 2018 while accusing the Narendra Modi government of ignoring pleas for SCS. In protest, Naidu had also asked two Union ministers – Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Y Satyanarayana Chowdhary – to resign from the NDA Cabinet. The TDP chief then went on to launch an anti-Modi campaign ahead of the 2019 elections, a move which eventually backfired.

The TDP chief was also ridiculed by YSRCP MLAs, including Jagan, in the Assembly when he said he had visited Delhi 29 times over the years to meet NDA ministers on the SCS issue.

Five years later, Jagan seems to be in Naidu’s shoes. The CM on Tuesday said in the Assembly that no party should get majority at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “I wish any party that comes to power will have to rely on the YSRCP for support. If there is a government that is favourable to us, we can bargain for SCS for Andhra Pradesh,” he said during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s address.

Apart from the TDP, Jagan has been facing flak from a new rival – his sister and Andhra Congress chief, Y S Sharmila – who has been demanding a discussion on the issue in the Assembly and urged Jagan to pass a resolution in the Assembly. Sharmila also held a protest at AP Bhavan in New Delhi on February 2 while blaming the CM for not doing enough to get SCS for the state.

Though the Congress has no representation in the Assembly, the issue is likely to snowball and provide adequate ammunition to the TDP ahead of the polls.

A YSRCP leader admitted that the SCS issue has gained precedence despite the state government implementing various other schemes. “The government implemented DBT welfare schemes worth Rs 2.55 lakh crore and non-DBT schemes worth Rs 1.07 lakh crore yet the SCS issue has gained prominence. The CM’s statement in the Assembly says a lot,” he said.