Even the staunchest supporter of the united Andhra Pradesh cause knows pretty well that the battle to keep the state united is a losing proposition.
The process of bifurcation is already on and it is only a matter of a few months when the new state of Telangana comes into existence.
In that case, what did the YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy achieve by organizing a massive rally in Hyderabad? How can anyone prevent the division of the state at this juncture?
A close look at the content of Jagan's address at the "Samaikya Shankaravam" reveals that he was using the platform to dispel certain misgivings about him and answer his detractors, rather than displaying the strategies to stall the division of the state.
The main allegation against Jagan is that he has struck a deal with the Congress central leadership in return for his freedom.
In fact, when the CBI told the special court, just before the granting of bail, that there was no evidence to prove the quid pro quo deal in the investments into Jagan's companies. This, coupled with the CBI's decision not to oppose his bail petition, raised several doubts in the minds of his political rivals about the possible "match fixing" with the ruling party.
The main opposition Telugu Desam Party has largely succeeded in spreading the message down to the villages that YSR Congress Party was nothing but a B Team of the Congress and would eventually merge with it after elections.
The reports pouring in from Seemandhra say that the common public have begun to believe this campaign.
A worried Jagan had to do something to dispel the growing perception that he has cut a secret deal with the Congress bosses.
The "Samaikya Shankaravam" provided a perfect platform for him to silence his critics. His new-found aggression against the Congress President Sonia Gandhi must be seen in this backdrop. He was unsparing in his attack on the UPA chairperson, even invoking her foreign origin.
Accusing Sonia of trying to divide the state for "votes and seats" with the sole aim of making her son Rahul Gandhi the next Prime Minister, he made a surprise personal attack, wondering whether she would be willing to leave the country if the Parliament passes a bill asking all those who were born on foreign soil to leave the country.
This is the strongest attack on Sonia made by any leader from AP. At least on this score, the TDP will now find it difficult to repeat its charge that Jagan has a secret understanding with the Congress.
However, Jagan's silence on Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has raised several eyebrows in political circles and this might provide the fodder for his detractors, particularly in the TDP, to make it an issues in the coming days.
