MLAs loyal to YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy wanted to kill two birds with one stone by submitting their resignations.
Although they know that their resignations will not bring down the Congress government immediately, the Jagan camp is sure that it will definitely put the ruling party on the defensive.
Mr Jagan loyalists also appear sure of retaining their seats in the byelection, given the immense popularity their young leader enjoys in the districts. The Odarpu (condolence) yatra undertaken by the YSR Congress chief has been receiving unprecedented response from people, especially women and the youth.
If all the MLAs who resigned retain their seats and return to the Assembly as YSR Congress members, the ruling party should be in real trouble.
The Jagan camp strategy is to keep the political pressure up on the ruling party while the Central Bureau of Investigation goes ahead with its probe into the wealth allegedly amassed illegally by Mr Jagan Reddy.
The resignations are seen as a tactical move to put pressure on the Congress so that the country’s prime investigation agency, often dubbed by the Opposition as Congress Bureau of Investigation, does not cross the lakshman rekha (ie. arrest of Jagan) as part of its investigation. This became clear when Mr Jagan Reddy’s mother and Pulivendula MLA Vijayamma dashed off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh alleging that the CBI “was being prompted” by the Centre to conduct raids on the offices and houses of Mr Jagan Reddy and of those who had invested in his firms.
The decision by MLAs to resign was not taken on the spur of the moment, it is understood. They had been considering it since Mr Jagan Reddy returned to the Lok Sabha from Kadapa with an unprecedented majority. Ms Vijayamma too romped home from Pulivendula Assembly constituency, which her husband YSR once represented. They were just waiting for a political opportunity that could justify their resignation.
The naming by the CBI of Jagan’s late father and former Congress chief minister YSR was the opportunity that the Jagan group was waiting for. This, they calculate, will help them gain sympathy from the public, as YSR is still viewed as a messiah. The YSR Congress loyalists now plan a bus yatra to the districts to explain the circumstances leading to their resignations.
And if Ms Vijayamma accompanies them, the Jagan camp will only gain politically. This could queer the electoral pitch further for the ruling Congress.