Yesterday, after hoisting the National Flag in Vijayawada, on the occasion of Independence Day, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy shocked everyone by speaking about the Special Status of Andhra Pradesh, and how he is not willing to give it up anytime soon.
When Jagan first came to power, he was vigorously trying to get Special Status to Andhra Pradesh. However, after the Center repeatedly warned him not to pursue it, as there was no way A was getting a special status, Jagan dropped it. Now that NJP and YSRCP have developed quite cordial relations with each other, Jagan seems to be moving ahead strategically.
Speaking to the public yesterday, Jagan said that AP should remind the Center that the government at the Center is in need of the MPs of the state, and only that is when the Central Government would grant AP with a special status. This has been considered a very smart statement.
Jagan also tried to get the support of the people during his speech, saying that only with their support will he be able to get Andhra Pradesh the Special Status it was entitled to.
It is also interesting to note that the government at the Center has not been opposing any decisions that the Jagan government has taken so far, including the highly controversial 3 Capital bill. Even the governor approved the bill, and the Central Government filed an affidavit in the High Court, saying that it has no say in the 3 Capital issue, and that the state government has the sole authority to do what it thinks is right.
It will now be interesting to see if the Central Government will grant AP with Special Status, based on its cordial relations with the YSRCP, or if it will once again pass it on and say that it is not possible.
Despite what might happen with respect to the special status, one thing is for sure, Jagan seems like he’s determined to use this as bait to make sure that he wins the next general elections too. It is no secret that Jagan’s image is getting negative in the public, especially with respect to the way he is dealing with the farmers of Amaravati. At this time, it looks like he found the matter of Special Status as the only viable option so that he wins the next term too.