Telanagana crisis: Will Jagan dare to take a stand?

Image: YSR Congress President Jagan Mohan Reddy

YSR Congress President Jaganmohan Reddy is set to break his silence on the Telangana issue at the party plenary. But will he risk speaking in favour of Telangana or sit on the fence? Vicky Nanjappa reports.

Come Friday and all eyes will be on Idupalpaya, the hometown of Jaganmohan Reddy where he will conduct a plenary session of the YSR Congress. This meet will be an extremely crucial one as Reddy will take a stand on the burning Telangana issue, say sources and this decision will be made to the public on Saturday.

Jagan is the only politician in Andhra Pradesh, who has distanced himself from the Telangana issue. However, his decision on the fight for statehood will be a crucial one. Whether the YSR Congress president supports the Telangana cause or opposes it remains to be seen, but his stand will definitely alter the dynamics of Andhra Pradesh politics.

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More trouble for Cong if Jagan supports Telangana

Image: Andhra CM Kiran Kumar Reddy

Jagan has always portrayed himself as the messiah of the people of the Rayalseema and Andhra region. He has avoided speaking on the Telangana controversy and on one occasion when he spoke against the formation of the state he was forced to cancel his much-hyped up rally in the region.

Despite being aware that the Telanagana has put Congress on the back foot he is expected not to be too committal on the issue. There is a lot of pressure on the Congress following the 100 plus resignations of MPs and MLAs from the Telangana region and he is aware that if he makes a statement supporting the demand for statehood it will only add to the woes of the party.

Political observers say that Jagan was in fact waiting for the Congress to take a stand on Telangana before he made a statement, while the Congress hoped that Jagan made his position clear first.

However, the YSR Congress president has now realised that the Congress will not commit on the issue and feels that the political atmosphere in state demands that he should speak up.

Jagan likely to take a neutral stand, say insiders

Image: Andhra continues to remain tense over the Telangana issue
Photographs: Snaps India

Sources from the YSR Congress said that Jagan will be very cautious as he prepares to speak on Telangana. But the big question is -- would he like to gain from Telangana and lose in the Rayalaseema-Andhra belt.

According to surveys conducted by his party, Jagan stands to lose heavily in the other two regions if he takes a definitive stance on Telanagana. But another survey points out that he is likely to lose three per cent of his vote share in Seema-Andhra if he speaks in favour of Telangana.

These conflicting surveys have created tension in the Jagan camp and his political advisors have been telling him to take a neutral stand on the issue. Given a choice he would like to avoid the issue completely. However, he can no longer afford to do so keep in mind that the political turmoil in the state, say insiders.

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