Andhra Chief Minister and YSRCP leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy left for New Delhi to hold a "crucial meeting" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday morning, amid speculation that his party would join the BJP-led NDA.
There has been strong speculation since early this week about the YSRCP entering into an alliance with the BJP. The YSRCP, which has 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha and six in the Rajya Sabha, has recently supported all major decisions and Bills including the three Farm Bills of the Union government giving weight to the speculation.
However, Andhra Pradesh government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy denied speculations stating that the YSRCP does not have any proposals from the BJP about being inducted into the Union government. He said that the BJP at the Centre does not require their support since the party has a majority in the Lok Sabha. "As a regional party our interests, aims are confined to the state alone, we don't think about anything other than state interests," Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said.
He added, "We will not think about cabinet berths, to fulfill the state interests we will have our line of thinking, if such a situation arises we will see what to seek for the state but not look for four portfolios like Chandrababu Naidu."
Sources in both parties tell TNM that YSRCP joining NDA officially was unlikely to happen as the two parties have an amicable equation and there was no need for an alliance now. Moreover, Jagan with 28 MPs (22 in Lok Sabha and 6 in Rajya Sabha) has been supporting the government when on contentious issues like the farm bills. Moreover, Jagan joining the NDA without the Centre delivering on the special status for Andhra Pradesh will be political fodder for TDP. "State comes first. Let them give special status," a YSRCP leader said.
The Andhra CM is expected to meet PM Modi at around 10 am on Tuesday. Incidentally, the meeting also comes on the same day as the Apex Council meeting where Jagan is set to confront his Telangana counterpart K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) over Krishna river water sharing.
Jagan flew to Delhi from Gannavaram soon after attending his father-in-law Dr EC Gangireddy's memorial meeting in Pulivendula. According to reports YS Jagan directly went to his Delhi residence after being received by a group of YSRCP MPs led by Vijaya Sai Reddy, Mithun Reddy.
Jagan had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier in September where he reportedly apprised him about state issues and recent developments.