Andhra Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Somu Veerraju has claimed that a double engine Sarkar (double engine government) is certain in the state. Speaking in Vijayawada on Friday, Veerraju said that the wind is changing in AP and that lotus is blooming. He alleged that both past and present governments in the state have misappropriated central funds, and that the state government has become a dubbing government. He added that without support from the Union government, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy would be unable to disburse welfare schemes to the people, as every single rupee of the state government is given by the Central Government.
The BJP has recently been on an upswing in Andhra Pradesh. In the recent local body elections, the party won 48 out of 75 divisions in the Kakinada Municipal Corporation in East Godavari district, 42 out of 50 divisions in the Machilipatnam Municipality in Krishna district, and 31 out of 46 divisions in the Nandyal Municipality in Kurnool district.
These claims by Veerraju are likely to heighten tensions between the BJP and the ruling YSR Congress Party in the state. The YSR Congress Party has repeatedly accused the BJP-led central government of failing to fulfil commitments to Andhra Pradesh made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The party has also been accused of sowing discord through its attempts to spread Hindu nationalist ideology in the state.
It remains to be seen whether the BJP will be able to build a strong base in Andhra Pradesh, a state that has traditionally been dominated by regional parties. However, with the party making inroads into key districts and areas, it is clear that it intends to remain a potent force in the state’s politics.
