The “Jagan for CM” campaign has lost ground with YSR son Jagan Mohan Reddy accepting the Congress high command’s wishes that he lets go of such a demand.
Locked in an eye-to-eye confrontation with a stonewalling Congress high command, Jagan Mohan Reddy and KVP Rao are the one’s who seemed to have blinked first.
The prince awaiting coronation has not got the nod from the palace. For YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, 36 year old first-time MP, the dynastic right to political power is proving to be elusive.
Now, the question before the restless prince is whether strike the best possible deal possible now that he seems to have accepted that the top post is not going to be his for the asking. Various options are on the table as pro-Jagan camp is getting edgy with each passing day. He could settle for the deputy chief minister’s post, the head of the party in Andhra or a Union minister.
Earlier, the Jagan camp was juggling all sorts of options: The wildest among them being to split the Congress and stake claim to power on the basis of overwhelming majority it commands among legislators. The strategy, discussed in hushed tones among Jagan loyalists, was to do a Sharad Pawar on the Congress high command.
Staunch followers of the young MP argued that it was YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s individual charisma that brought the Congress to power in the state for two terms and that Andhra Pradesh contributes the highest number of MPs to the UPA’s kitty. Again, it will be YSR’s image that becomes crucial for Congress in its bid for power in the 2014 elections.
Some die-hard loyalists even coined a name for the proposed new outfit as the “YSR Congress” which, they claim, will sweep the next elections on the crest of a sympathy wave and the welfare schemes initiated by the former Chief Minister.
“The delay in making Jagan the next chief minister is bound to anger people. You have no idea about the ground situation. YSR’s death has paralysed the party. It can be rejuvenated only if Jagan steps into his shoes,” party MLA A Vivekananda Reddy said. IT Minister K Venkat Reddy went a step further and declared that he would quit politics if Jagan was not made Chief Minister. “The party leadership cannot ignore the overwhelming public sentiment and majority among MLAs, MPs, MLCs and district units. It is there for everyone to see. We only hope that a right decision will be taken soon,” APCC general secretary A Rambabu said.
Despite public pronouncements of loyalty to the high command, followers of Jagan cite the TINA (there is no alternative) factor and argue that the party could ill-afford to ignore them if it wants to retain power in the 2014 elections.
“During one of his last speeches, our leader (YSR) spoke about his goal to see Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister in 2014. Will it become a reality if sentiments of a key state like ours are ignored?” asks a Jagan camp follower.
It is said that the party leadership had offered three options to Jagan: a berth in the Union cabinet, the post of deputy chief minister or the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief. But, he is in no mood to accept anything less than the CM’s post.
However, the thinking in the high command has been that Jagan, who has just completed four months as MP, is too young to take over the mantle and needs to be groomed for the top job. Besides, his immediate elevation would also set a precedent for other state units. Nearly a month after his charismatic father YS Rajasekhar Reddy perished in a helicopter crash leaving a big void in Andhra Pradesh Congress, the industrialist-turned-politician is clueless about the Congress high command’s plans.
The aggressive “Jagan-for-CM” campaign, invoking the sympathy factor and even drawing parallels to Rajiv Gandhi taking over after Indira Gandhi was killed, has, however, backfired. The stoic silence at 10 Janpath has been a severe test for the nerves of Jagan’s followers. The initial optimism soon gave way to restlessness and even unstated anger. After the central leadership snubbed the crude “Draft Jagan” campaign, set in motion even before the body of the Chief Minister could reach the state capital the Jagan camp is now lying low.
Its chief strategist and YSR’s close friend KVP Ramachandra Rao has been holding parleys with loyal ministers, MPs and legislators to formulate a response. Rao, a Rajya Sabha member, was unsuccessful in his Delhi missions to convince the leadership about Jagan’s candidature.
In fact, it is not certain whether KVP continues to be an adviser to the government, a privilege he enjoyed during YSR’s rule. Chief Minister Rosaiah when asked said he has yet to take a decision on KVP.
At present, the strategy of Jagan loyalists is two-fold: Keeping the high command in good humour by pledging loyalty even while sustaining pressure to install the MP as YSR’s successor. The crux of their contention is that there is a groundswell of public sympathy for Jagan and he alone can carry forward the legacy of his father.
Though Rosaiah, the septuagenarian leader with over five decades of political experience, is accepted by all, he lacks mass base and crowd pulling abilities and hence cannot lead the party in the next elections, it is argued.
But the Delhi bosses have sent out clear signals that they were not in a hurry to decide the succession issue and would rather wait for emotions to subside. Apart from the haste with which the “bring-the-son-to-office” campaign was orchestrated, political inexperience and questionable business ventures are the main factors working against the young MP.
As the non-controversial veteran Rosaiah slowly gains grip over the administration and settles down in the Chief Minister’s chair he had never aspired for, the desperation in the Jagan camp is gaining ground.
While ministers continue to skip official meetings, district level leaders are disrupting the party’s membership drive and holding rallies and hunger strikes to press their demand for anointing Jagan as the next Chief Minister.
It is a piquant situation for the high command to find itself pitted against its own state unit and appearing to be stonewalling the prospects of a candidate who has the numbers in his favour.