It is an open secret that Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had extended financial and other strategical support to YSR Congress party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to come to power in Andhra Pradesh in 2019 assembly elections.
This was a sort of “return gift” by KCR to take revenge against Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu, who had joined hands with the Congress to defeat the TRS in the Telangana assembly elections in December 2018.
Now, there is every possibility that Jagan might reciprocate KCR’s gesture in the next year’s assembly elections in Telangana.
Apart from the financial help, Jagan might mobilise the support of the Andhra settlers, who are either beneficiaries of his father Y S Rajasekhar Reddy or YSRCP cadre base in Telangana, in favour of the TRS.
This is the suspicion of the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership. Though both the chief ministers appear to be keeping each other at bay and both the state governments appear to be fighting on inter-state disputed issues, the BJP leadership knows that Jagan and KCR are still good friends.
According to sources, the BJP national leadership is trying to play a divide and rule policy to separate Jagan and KCR.
While targeting the KCR government on various issues like power trading, denial of additional loans to Telangana, stoppage of further lending to Kaleshwaram project etc, the BJP government at the Centre has started granting a lot of favours to the Jagan government.
It has liberally allowed the Jagan government to raise further loans, granted bulk drugs park to AP and granted permission to trade power despite huge dues to power generators etc.
“The BJP leadership is pampering Jagan in every issue, so that he will not tilt towards KCR and help him in the Telangana assembly elections,” a BJP source in Delhi said.
At the same time, it is trying to woo the Telangana settlers taking the help of Jr NTR and Telangana Reddy voters using another hero Nithiin.
“Since Telangana goes to polls at least eight months in advance, the BJP will prevail upon Jagan to keep away from these elections. If KCR is defeated, it is easy to tame Jagan at a later stage,” the BJP leader added.
