Even as he accused the UPA government of “being fascist and using the instrument of corruption selectively to stifle dissent”, YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy said he is not averse to supporting Congress at the centre.
“Be it Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee or the Congress, I am open to providing my support at the national level to those parties that would take care of my party and state interests,” Reddy told HT.
On Thursday, Jagan met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raise the issue of farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
“Why should not we hold key ministries like agriculture (in return of our support), so that we can tackle problems like drought in our state in a better way,” Jagan said.
Jagan, though, added that in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress will remain his rival. He ruled out any alliance with BJP – the party that supported him in Parliament a few days ago.
“There is no question of me going with the BJP,” Jagan said. A slated meeting between Jagan and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj did not materialise – attributed to Jagan’s unwillingness to be seen as an ally of BJP.
The Kadapa MP has camped in the Capital for the last three days, meeting Congress’ allies and opposition parties “to bring to their notice how the UPA government has been using institutions like the CBI, ED and I-T with impunity to destroy, defame and eliminate dissent in any form, political or otherwise.”
{{/usCountry}}The Kadapa MP has camped in the Capital for the last three days, meeting Congress’ allies and opposition parties “to bring to their notice how the UPA government has been using institutions like the CBI, ED and I-T with impunity to destroy, defame and eliminate dissent in any form, political or otherwise.”
{{/usCountry}}“As long as I continued in the Congress party, I was an honest and honourable man. The day I left the party, not only I but also my father, YSR, became a criminal,” Jagan said in his seven-page letter to the leaders.
The CBI is probing Jagan’s assets and it is speculated that Jagan is next in line of arrests, after the Reddys of Bellary.
In the letter, Jagan drew inference from events like Baba Ramdev's protest and the ensuing ED probe; Anna Hazare's fast and I-T department's notices to Arvind Kejriwal. Jagan even touched the issue of Gujarat Lokayukta.
“We have become helpless spectators to the way the institution of governors is misused to silence non-Congress governments,” Jagan said.
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