Though he has been enjoying a very unique cordial and special relationship with the Narendra Modi- led NDA government at the Center, more than any other BJP chief minister in the country, Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy seems to be waiting for a hung parliament at the center in the present elections.
While meeting Visakha Steel employees, who have been agitating against Modi government’s move to privatise the same for the last two years, YCP chief unintentionally revealed his hidden `political ambitions’.
Jagan said that if the BJP-led NDA alliance does not get an absolute majority at the center in this election, the support of regional parties like YSRCP will be needed to form the government. In such a situation, if the Center is formed, he assured that his party will block the privatization of the Visakha Steel Plant.
Stating that he has been bringing pressure on the Center against privatization of the plan continuously, Jagan in a way expressed his helplessness as BJP is having majority on its own in the Lok Sabha. Moreover, he also indirectly indicated that in the present scenario he was forced to support the Modi-led government for his own reasons (CBI cases).
Admitting openly that presently he is unable to bring pressure on the Modi government except playing submissive role with them, Jagan expressed confidence that he can `dictate terms’ to the central government only in the case of `hung parliament’.
In this regard, he also revealed that though presently BJP is in alliance with TDP and Jana Sena, due to obvious reasons, Jagan is confident his relationship with the Modi- government will continue even after elections. But, he said that he can pressurise the central government for the benefit of the state only if BJP failed to get an absolute majority.
Jagan cautioned that if the candidate of TDP-Janasena-BJP alliance wins in Gajuwaka, it will send a signal that neither the people here nor the workers of Visakhapatnam steel plant are in favor of privatisation. That is why he advised them to elect a YCP candidate so as to send a strong signal to the center against the privatization of the Visakhapatnam steel factory.