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ANDHRA PRADESH |
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Jagan and the tumultuous politics of Andhra Pradesh
His fear that the Central government is hatching a conspiracy to get the CBI to arrest him adds fuel to the burning landscape of AP, writes TS Sudhir
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Photo: Shailendra Pandey |
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Ask Y S Jaganmohan Reddy an uncomfortable question and more often than not, he will skirt the bouncer with a “God is there. He is watching everything” line. The devout Christian that he is, Jagan would think God is indeed watching. Especially after the relief the Andhra Pradesh High Court provided him by defreezing the accounts of his Sakshi Media Group on Wednesday. The accounts were frozen by the CBI in the second week of May.
Jagan had then retaliated by calling the move ‘emergency-like’ and an assault on the freedom of the press and one that will affect 20,000 employees of his media group. His party colleague DA Somayajulu says that Jagan's position has been vindicated.
“The CBI said under the guise of funds for conducting business, ill-gotten money from various sources is deposited in the bank accounts. In our bank current accounts, we deposit the money gained from sale of the newspaper and the advertisement revenue. How is that ill-gotten money?” he says.
Legal experts, however, are not convinced. Ravi Shankar Jandhyala says, “The High Court has said they cannot sell property, they cannot break the fixed deposits in the banks, all transactions have to be in cheques and all dealings have to be submitted to the court every month. So in that sense, it is not entirely a favourable order for Jagan's media group.”
Today’s order comes close on the heels of another court on Monday refusing to entertain the CBI petition to attach his properties, citing technical flaws in the petition. And on Tuesday, Jagan shot off identical letters to the Prime Minister and the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging a Congress-Telugu Desam-CBI conspiracy to arrest him, create violence in Andhra Pradesh and then postpone the bypolls using the pretext of a disturbed law and order situation. Rumours that he could be picked on or before May 28, the day he has been summoned by the CBI court, have been doing the rounds for some time now.
“It was clever political strategy and he successfully handled this attempt at one-upmanship,” says political analyst K Nageshwar. “It is a win-win situation for Jagan. If they arrest him, he would say I told you about the plan. If they back out now, he gains as well. Basically he is trying to create public opinion that he is number one and that his two political rivals are ganging up against him.”
So is it advantage Jagan in the political match that we are witnessing in Andhra Pradesh? If his moves on the chessboard are any indication, he is saving his king—which is himself—rather smartly. For all practical purposes, June 12—the day 18 assembly and one Lok Sabha constituencies will go to bypolls—will see the playoffs of the Andhra Pradesh Political League and June 15, when the results will be out, could alter the political landscape dramatically.
But for that to happen, nothing less than a sweep would do. Jagan's calculation is that if he performs very well, it would make it difficult for his political detractors to use the CBI to get after him. The Congress and the TDP are trying to do whatever it takes, to ensure that does not happen.
“It is wrong to mix his crime with politics, the manner in which Jagan is doing,” argues B Gopalakrishna Reddy, senior TDP leader. “A crime is a crime, whoever may be the accused. Even if tomorrow he becomes the chief minister, he will still have to pay for the corruption he has indulged in.”
“It is not as if the voters are unaware of the allegations the CBI is levelling against Jagan,” says Nageshwar. “What is working in his favour is that there is a political vacuum in Andhra Pradesh. There is strong anti-incumbency against the Congress government but the TDP is unable to cash in by improving its image and credibility. Support to Jagan is based on an emotional attachment that has its roots in sympathy for YSR and his welfare agenda.”
During the election campaign, Congress leaders have been struggling to point out that while YSR was clean, Jagan prevailed on him to indulge in corruption. Some others, known to be YSR-baiters within the party, have not been so circumspect to make that distinction and have painted YSR in not-so-complimentary colours. The campaign had its first casualty on Wednesday with Jagan's uncle, Y S Vivekananda Reddy quitting the Congress, protesting against the shrill voices against his late brother.
Andhra Pradesh is witnessing one of its worst summers in decades, with the mercury shooting up each day and the political discourse is doing its bit to add to the heat as well.
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