Andhra Pradesh: One year on, CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy hears voices of dissidence

Hyderabad: As rank and file of the YSR Congress Party is in a celebratory mood on the completion of one year in power in Andhra Pradesh, the leadership is also hearing the voices of dissidence.

One MP and four MLAs have made open statements against the governance. They all spoke on the crucial issues.

Kanumuri Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, who represents Narasapuram constituency in Lok Sabha, has described the CM as jasmine, surrounded by thorns.

He vehemently opposed the proposal to auction the immovable assets of the Lord Balaji of Tirupati hill shrine. The government had subsequently ordered the temple administration to withdraw the proposal. Raju also took independent view, against the government, on the State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar issue.

After the High Court struck down the Ordinance that was brought to remove Ramesh as the SEC, Raju said the government lacked quality advisors. He described Jagan as a jasmine surrounded by thorns. He also said the CM, who has been raining sops on many sections, should make sand a free commodity in the state.

Anam Rama Narayana Reddy, senior MLA and former minister, has put the government in irksome position by alleging that officials in his Nellore district were selling water. Notably, the water resources minister comes from the same district.

Another MLA, B Brahma Naidu from Vinukonda in Guntur district, caused embarrassment to the government by pointing at the severe shortage of sand in his constituency. "Not even a handful of sand is available in my constituency, while a lot of sand is going out of reaches", he said. Another MLA K Rosaiah expressed a similar view at an official meeting.

MLA M Maheedhara Reddy, who represents Kandukuru in Prakasam district, staged a protest at Zilla Parishad office demanding resolution of water problem facing people in 90 villages in his constituency.

Senior lawmaker Dharmana Prasada Rao from Srikakulam district in North Coastal Andhra was the latest to criticise the administration in presence of deputy chief minister Alla Nani on. Thursday. Objecting to the continuation of a Mumbai contractor for sanitation works, he questioned if there are no local contractors to do the work.

Noted political analyst Telakapalli Ravi says the dissident voices are from upper castes, whose role was strategically reduced by Jagan through encouraging leaders from downtrodden sections.

"There are murmurs and tensions here and there. Internal squabbles too are there. But, not yet near anything like dissidence as CM Jagan is firmly in the saddle. And, he gave his ministers only half a term (Jagan said in the beginning that there will be two cabinets in five years, with half-term each). Like his father (Late YS Rajasekhara Reddy), Jagan promoted mostly BC and SC leaders as a strategy. It's not to the liking of senior and strong leaders. Their roles are now limited. TDP and a section of media supporting it made this its main plank as of now as Reddy vs BC tussle in YSRCP. But Chandrababu himself admitted in Mahanadu (party plenary) openly that party must win over estranged BCs," Ravi said.