BJP Keeps Rumour Mills Buzzing About Alliance in Andhra Pradesh

The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:

The ABN Andhrajyothy media group in the Telugu states has strange loyalties. Their MD, Vemuri Radhakrishna (popularly known as RK) is a die hard TDP fan in Andhra Pradesh. He is now a Revanth Reddy fan in Telangana. He knows Revanth Reddy from his TDP days and with even TDP cadre celebrating Revanth’s ascent to the post of Chief Minister from the Congress party, it is infact no surprise that RK provides a great platform for elevating Revanth Reddy. The only common factor between both the states for RK is that he is virulently anti-Modi. His channel even conducted a show asking if AP should break away from India, just because Venkaiah Naidu was not made the President of India!

It is election season now. RK has become restless on who BJP will ally with, in the Telugu states. The TDP is desperate for an alliance with the BJP. But RK has published articles saying that it is the BJP that is calling the TDP back into NDA. Andhra Pradesh presents a strange conundrum for alliances. Film Star Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP) allied with the BJP after the 2019 elections. When Chandrababu Naidu was arrested in 2023, JSP announced that it will ally with the TDP for 2024 elections because now there is only aim – defeat Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP. JSP announced this while being in alliance with the BJP!

Pawan Kalyan has publicly mentioned many times that he will try to convince the BJP to join the alliance. Chandrababu Naidu made many moves to get closer to the BJP once again. Amidst all this, ABN group’s RK thinks that is TDP’s divine right to get back into the NDA; that is the BJP’s responsibility to get TDP back into the NDA; that any kind of support to Jagan amounts to being a monster!

The people of Andhra Pradesh voted for Jagan, overwhelmingly in 2019 (151/175 seats were won by him!). It is well known that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will work closely with any elected Chief Minister of any state. ABN group’s RK had many problems even with that aspect – he went on to say that Modi is protecting Jagan at the cost of Andhra Pradesh!

On Sunday, February 18^th, RK published a Telugu article on the front page of his newspaper, in Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that while BJP asked TDP for an alliance; the YSRCP is desperate for an alliance with the BJP! He claims that Jagan rushed to Delhi to meet the PM, after the Home Minister met Chandrababu Naidu. RK claims that if BJP is on Jagan’s side, then the Election Commission of India will also be on Jagan’s side! They will allow him to manipulate voter list and also allow him to distribute money! These kinds of blasphemous comments are not new to RK anyway, but it’s still shocking how he makes such statements.

RK is upset that BJP is playing a waiting game on alliances and not yet declaring their alliance with the TDP. He is more restless than TDP themselves perhaps. Or maybe he is portraying TDP’s restlessness through his articles. Either way, it’s strange how he wants the BJP-TDP alliance to happen and continues to badmouth BJP!

While this has been his argument for the Andhra Pradesh edition of the newspaper, he wrote a different tune for the Telangana edition! He claims that the BRS is desperate for an alliance with the BJP. He claims that Revanth Reddy is gaining good marks for his governance (it’s been just 2 months!) and this is unsettling both the BRS and BJP. They don’t want Revanth to be the CM for 5 years, so if they ensure Congress gets minimal seats in the Lok Sabha from Telangana, then the government may fall. RK says that the BJP-BRS-MIM combine has 54 seats in the assembly and only need 6 people more to support them!

This mindless analysis is hilarious. Firstly, why would the BJP ally with MIM? Secondly, why would Revanth Reddy keep quiet if attempts are made to destabilise his government by BRS? Is it outside of the realm of possibility that MIM will actually end up supporting Congress and get more things done for their community? RK is clearly attempting to play a mind game that will favour Revanth Reddy. This rumour that the BJP and BRS have an understanding, damaged the prospects of BJP during the 2023 Assembly elections. They want to play the same mind game again, so that Revanth Reddy wins a large number of seats in Telangana for the Lok Sabha. BJP’s state president and Union Minister Kishan Reddy has already quashed these rumours. There is really no way a BJP-BRS alliance can happen in Telangana. It will be more damaging than it even sounds!

As of now, the BJP hasn’t revealed whom it will ally with in Andhra Pradesh. Many rumours indicate that they will ally with TDP+JSP in Andhra Pradesh. Categorical statements have been made by leadership that there will be no alliance in Telangana. RK has played a pivotal role in the spreading of rumours against the BJP, in favour of the TDP and the Congress. He continues to do so. One day, some strong leader from these two states must chide him strongly for his irresponsible journalism.