The opposition parties have come together to take on the Modi government on a batch of issues–from violence in Manipur to the reinstatement of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership. Two non-NDA parties missing from this united opposition front are the two Andhra Pradesh parties–ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP). The rivals who are at constant loggerhead with each other seem to have one major commonality: their staunch support of the Modi government on key issues.
On August 7, when the Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled the contentious Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill in Rajya Sabha, YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy spoke in favour of the bill and launched a strong attack on the Aam Aadmi Party which is in power in Delhi. Reddy called AAP a party of anarchists and asked if AAP wanted control of Delhi to support separatists and anti-nationals. Meanwhile TDP, which has just one member in Rajya Sabha is also expected to vote in favour of the bill. The bill aims to give the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, instead of the Delhi government, immense and final power to decide on important matters of governance.
In the no confidence motion expected to be moved by Congress against PM Modi on August 8, the two parties are likely to support the PM. While the party chiefs have not made their positions clear yet, sources have indicated that both TDP and YSRCP will not vote in favour of the no confidence motion.
In May, when PM Modi was being attacked by the opposition party leaders over the inauguration of the new Parliament building and the use of the Sengol, the two parties had steadfastly stood by PM Modi and had criticised the opposition.
The YSRCP has never been a part of the NDA but has maintained friendly relations with the BJP, especially with PM Modi and HM Shah. The party has 22 MPs in Lok Sabha and nine in the Rajya Sabha and have time again bailed the NDA government over key issues. The TDP was part of the NDA from 2014 but in 2018, Chandrababu Naidu walked out of the alliance. After the bitter parting, Naidu had been aggressively taking on PM Modi and even allied with the Congress. But for several months now, a serious attempt is being made by the TDP to once again enter the NDA.
While the BJP has negligible electoral presence in Andhra Pradesh, reasons for the two main parties of the state to seek the BJP’s support are multifold. For YSRCP, maintaining friendly relations with the BJP is crucial because with no Special Category Status (SCS) awarded to Andhra, dispensation of central funds is up to the discretion of the Union government. Andhra CM Jagan still faces corruption-related cases by CBI and this is another reason for the continued bonhomie.
The TDP meanwhile faces the uphill task of taking on YSRCP in the Assembly elections in 2024 and an alliance with NDA partner Jana Sena, led by actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan can bolster TDP’s chances. Also, the central agencies under the Union government can be useful in keeping YSRCP in check. So despite past bitter relations, Naidu has been trying hard to appease PM Modi and become an NDA ally, once again.