The Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the BJP have resolved to work together on important issues concerning Andhra Pradesh (A.P.), including the development of the capital city as certain path-breaking decisions of the State government such as carving out legislative, executive and judicial capitals out of the existing set-up, triggered protests by the farmers in Amaravati and created political turmoil.
JSP president Pawan Kalyan offered to extend issue-based support to the BJP in a meeting with its national working president J.P. Nadda and he responded positively, according to a source in the JSP, who maintained that it was not a formal alliance.
Mr. Kalyan also called on Union Minister of State for External Affairs and BJP’s A.P. affairs in-charge V. Muraleedharan and co-incharge Sunil Deodhar separately along with JSP political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar and BJP MP Tejasvi Surya.
Capital issue
The finding of a common cause by the former allies came a few days after Mr. Kalyan made a categorical statement that the BJP should not only take up the cause of the aggrieved farmers in 29 capital villages but also ensure that the State government did not shift the capital city to Visakhapatnam in the name of decentralisation, arguing that the consequences would be disastrous.
The JSP chief told media persons recently that the Centre was obliged to get involved so that normalcy could be restored in A.P. and also because it has stakes in the capital project.
The Centre cannot be a bystander having recognised Amaravati as the capital of A.P. and spent over ₹2,500 crore on infrastructure creation there, he observed while strongly objecting to the imposition of prohibitory orders under Sec. 144 of CRPC and beating up of women. He insisted that the capital issue was a sensitive one that needed to be sorted out amicably lest the entire State should suffer.
