REPORTERS’ DIARY : Nothing lasts in politics

Nothing lasts in politics; neither relationship nor the gulf in it. Although the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party continue to be on good terms with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and are protecting his interests. This is the gut feeling of the people of Andhra Pradesh in the light of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent comments in the course of his latest media interview. All along, TDP circles have been campaigning that the BJP leadership had ‘called’ their leader Chandrababu to ensure TDP’s switch to NDA. Besides, the Congress party has been campaigning that Jagan had been ‘supporting the BJP-led central government on every issue and backing bills proposed by it in Parliament’. However, Amit Shah’s clarifications on these points would make Chandrababu unhappy and Jagan very happy.  On TDP joining NDA, Shah remarked: “We did not ask Chandrababu Naidu to leave NDA. It was he who had decided to part ways with us. Then he went to the people, lost elections, and after realizing, he is back with us”. This makes it clear that Chandrababu wanted to join NDA and it is not the other way around. As for Jagan’s support to the BJP in the Rajya Sabha on numerous occasions, Shah said: “Political parties always vote on the basis of the issue. YSRCP opposed us on three instances. Every party has the right to vote after being convinced that the issue is of national interest”. So, the BJP appreciates that Jagan did not support the BJP-led NDA blindly on every issue.