THE DIMINISHED stature of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) appears to have finally forced it off the fence, with its chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday hobnobbing with INDIA bloc leaders such as Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav during his protest in Delhi. At least one INDIA bloc leader present at the protest said the YSRCP’s place was with the alliance. Since its inception in 2011, the YSRCP has never formally aligned with either of the two national parties Congress or BJP. But, after the Narendra Modi era began, it has been perceived as being in the BJP’s corner, supporting the Centre on several crucial Bills. As recently as the Lok Sabha Speaker’s election after the polls, the YSRCP backed the BJP’s Om Birla. The pendulum appears to be shifting now, as the BJP’s new partner TDP consolidates its hold on Andhra, helped by the Modi government’s Budget bonanza. On Wednesday, Jagan, now the leader of an outfit reduced to four MPs in Parliament and 11 MLAs in the Assembly, hosted several Opposition leaders on his protest stage, including Akhilesh and leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Tamil Nadu Dalit outfit VCK. Sources said an invite was also sent to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to join Jagan’s protest against “anarchy in Andhra”, but the party had chosen to stay away. Jagan had floated the YSRCP after parting ways with the Congress in 2011, two years after the death of his father and former Andhra CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash. Since the UPA government cleared the bifurcation of the state in 2009, the Congress has struggled to make any electoral impact. Asked if his new company meant he was joining the INDIA bloc, Jagan dodged replying directly and told the media he had sought support “from all parties which condemn violence”, and not just INDIA constituents. The YSRCP chief, who has been claiming that the ruling TDP cadres have been attacking his partymen since the results back in Andhra, pointed out that he had also sought appointments with PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue. Among the INDIA bloc leaders present at Jagan’s protest were the Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi, TMC MP Nadimul Haq, Thol Thirumavalavan of the VCK, and the AIADMK’s M Thambidurai. Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and IUML participated in the protest. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Jagan also thanked the leaders for lending support to the protest. The YSRCP claims that 31 of its workers have been killed in post-poll violence in Andhra while 35 others had died by suicide due to “harassment” by the TDP. The party released a book called ‘Rakta Charitra’ at the Wednesday protest, which claims that 300 murder attempts had been made on YSRCP leaders. “Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh had carried a Red Book to make notes on rivals of the TDP during his padayatra. Now, in every district, TDP workers are keeping books to settle scores. This is barbaric,” Jagan said. Akhilesh said: “I would not have known the truth had I not seen the photographs and videos. Those in power should maintain simplicity, listen to others, and not take their lives.” Raut called for an independent investigation by a special team into the attacks on Opposition workers, while some urged Andhra Governor Abdul Nazeer and the Supreme Court to take note of the issue. Thirumavalavan urged the YSRCP to join the INDIA bloc. “We think that the INDIA bloc, including Rahul Gandhi, should take cognisance of the violence and extend support (to the YSRCP). VCK openly invites the YSRCP to join the INDIA bloc,” he said. The TDP, whose MPs held a press conference to counter Jagan, termed the protest a “drama” being enacted by the former CM to “divert people’s attention”. “Jagan has come to Delhi to do diversion politics. His government was engaged in targeted violence on TDP members during its tenure. He must raise issues in the Andhra Assembly instead of protesting in Delhi,” TDP Kurnool MP B Nagaraju said.
