YSRCP’s Hyd joint capital pitch: A move to corner Naidu, BJP?

Vijayawada: There is "more than meets the eye" in the remarks of YSRCP strongman YV Subba Reddy, a member of the inner circle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy that the Centre should extend Hyderabad as the joint capital of both the Telugu-speaking States of Telangana and AP.

His statement at the time of filing re-nomination for Rajya Sabha membership on Tuesday has raised many an eyebrow in the political circles at a time when TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu shifted all the offices from the Old Secretariat and other places in Hyderabad lock stock and barrel to Amaravati soon after the 'vote for note' scam surfaced.

In the scam, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is one of the main accused. The case is pending before the Supreme Court with a plea to shift the case to another State due to apprehensions that free and fair investigation is not possible as Revanth Reddy is now at the helm.

An independent political observer told Bizz Buzz on condition of anonymity that due to fast approaching elections for the Assembly and Lok Sabha, Subba Reddy wanted to rake up the bribery scam case in which Chandrababu Naidu's voice in the audio tape recorded during the sting operation was purported to have heard. The sting operation was carried out when Bharat Rashtra Samiti (than Telangana Rashtra Samiti) was in power in 2015. After registration of the case.

Revanth Reddy, than TDP MLA from Kodangal was arrested for allegedly offering Rs 50 lakh to nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson to influence him to vote in favour of TDP in the MLC elections. After the sensational case, Naidu harped on developing Amaravati as a futuristic capital and shifted the AP government offices to the new capital even when the constructions activities were in progress.

The observer said now YSRCP by raising the demand to continue Hyderabad as joint capital beyond 10 years from June 1, it wants to embarrass Naidu as well as the BJP leadership amid speculation that TDP is all set to return to the BJP-led NDA coalition, after it walked out of the coalition in 2018 in protest against denial of Special Category Status (SCS) promised to AP in 2014 general elections.

The intention is to corner Naidu as Amaravati was not completely developed when YSRCP formed the government in 2019. Secondly, BJP being in power at the Centre is backing the demand for continuation of Amaravati as the only capital. If it denies extension of Hyderabad as the joint capital, it may have to face a difficult time in AP, where it is hoping to stake claim to four or five Lok Sabha seats in alliance with the TDP and the Jana Sena Party.