Like the Modi 2.0 government, the Jagan Mohan Reddy led the YSRCP government of Andhra Pradesh to complete one year in office on Saturday. Yet, the difference between the two has been stark. While the former has been successful in fulfilling age-old foundational promises, the latter has failed substantially on multiple fronts despite being gifted with a decisive mandate by the people of Andhra Pradesh.
Jagan’s YSRCP won 22 out of the 25 Lok Sabha seats last year, a feat which had left many shocked. In the Assembly, the party won 151 out of 175 seats. However, many fear that Andhra Pradesh is doing terribly under Jagan Reddy. On their first anniversary, Jagan quite confidently claimed that his government had fulfilled 90% of its manifesto promises to date. However, not many are pleased with such overboard insinuations.
Till recently, KIA motors was unsure about continuing its operations in Andhra Pradesh, with a Reuters report suggesting that they might be shifting their facility to Tamil Nadu. After hectic parleys, and some even suggest, heavy and secret negotiations, the Jagan government has somehow managed to retain the South Korean company to continue production in the state.
Another cross for the YSRCP government to bear is the non-functional Kadapa Steel Plant, which Jagan Mohan Reddy had laid the foundation of, after sanctioning twenty thousand crores for the project. Yet, due to scarcity of funds, the steel plant is still not functional, and the state government is on the lookout for a bailout from the Centre.
Former Andhra Chief Minister and TDP Chief, N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the courts had delivered at least 64 verdicts against the Jagan government. The claim indeed, does have merit to it. The YSRCP government has been at the receiving end, as the High Court passed several unfavourable judgments against the Jagan government. This led to YSRCP lawmakers to resort to contempt of court, in abusive language no less. The High Court first struck down the government’s decision to make English the mandatory medium of instruction in government schools. Then, the Court transferred Dr. Sudhakar’s assault case to the CBI. On May 22, the HC also stayed Jagan government’s move to suspend IPS officer AB Venkateswara Rao. Other judgements by the High Court also infuriated the Jagan government and his loyalists, who abused the court and judges, and were slapped with contempt charges thereafter.
Jagan’s exclusive inclination towards minority appeasement needs no introduction. Ever since he assumed office, Jagan has taken a series of fundamentally biased decisions that favour Christians and their brazen conversion drives in the state. His government decided to hike financial aid to Jerusalem and Hajj pilgrims by twenty thousand, for those whose annual income was below 3 lakh rupees, and ten thousand, for those whose annual income exceeded 3 lakh.
Further, Christian pastors will now be provided with a five thousand rupees monthly honorarium, even as his government shamelessly allowed their puppets in TTD to propose a sale of the temple’s lands and properties. Imams will be provided with a monthly honorarium of rupees ten thousand. Meanwhile, rampant, and some even say, state-sponsored conversion drives are working overtime in Andhra Pradesh, with the blessings of Jagan Mohan Reddy.
A few months ago, the Andhra government-issued tickets to travellers from Tirupati to the temple town of Tirumala with advertisements of Haj and Jerusalem pilgrimage on the back. While the Jagan government has worked overtime for the benefits of Christians and Muslims, the other lesser mortals are yet to see the YSRCP government have mercy upon them and fulfil promises made to them without asking them to convert.
Freebies being doled out by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government encourage conversion to Christianity, the Sunday Guardian had reported. In the same line, YSRCP MP, Ramkrishna Raju had recently confessed on Times Now that conversion drives were taking place in a “big way” in Andhra Pradesh.
I accept that large scale conversion happens in Andhra Pradesh, but it happens in other states too: Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, MP, YSRCP tells Padmaja Joshi on @thenewshour AGENDA. | #TirumalaTempleTargeted pic.twitter.com/LTLG6Prt2x
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) May 25, 2020
What is, therefore, being seen in Andhra Pradesh is that a government is accused of institutionally supporting conversions, even as the rest of the state continues to languish under a slew of issues that they face. Further, the TTD’s recent proposed drive to sell Lord Balaji’s property has only widened the divide between Hindus and the government.
While CM Jagan Reddy ‘delivers big’ on his poll promises, the ones that aren’t about Christians remain to be fulfilled.