YSRCP A Beacon Of Hope For AP After TDP Misrule: YS Jagan

Vijayawada: YSR Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who is eyeing a big win for his party in the 2019 general elections, has said that he will back anyone who supports the Special Category Status for Andhra Pradesh.

In an interview to a reputed channel, Jagan spoke about his political aspirations, his personal life and how he was betrayed by the Congress party.

Q: How do you see this election to be different from the 2014 elections?

YSJ: If you were to see the numbers then, difference between winning and losing was less than a per cent in 2014. We were about 44.5 per cent while they were about 45.5 per cent. And in 45.5 per cent what they had, they had everybody — the Modiji's euphoria was there predominantly, one more actor by name Pawan Kalyan, he was also with them. Most importantly, he never had anti-incumbency then on him. He was in a position and he had his lies. He lied through his teeth. Today, the situation is very different. Today, people have seen his governance, people have seen that he has lied, people do not trust him anymore and another fact is that all those factors like Modiji are no longer with them. The anti-incumbency on him would be so dominant that the results would totally change because it is anti-incumbency Vs Hope.

Q: So, you are saying Chandrababu Naidu lied through his teeth. What are the lies that you are trying to point out?

YSJ: To begin with, he said knowing very well that 87,612 crore was the agricultural loans that Andhra Pradesh farmers had. During the elections and in his own manifesto as well, he said he will waive the entire agricultural loans. Knowing very well that no state government will ever have that kind of funds to do it, he lied. Then he said he will waive the entire Self Help Group (SHG) loans that was 14,200 plus crores then even that he lied. Not a single rupee has been paid. Then he said he would give jobs to every house if not a job he said he would give Rs 2,000 dole. For 60 months of his regime multiplied by 2000, he duped the youth of 1,20,000. At every stage...He said don't pay up. He asked the farmers not to pay their farm loans.

Q: Do you know that is the way governance should be done that people who take loan should not pay up? Can any state allow this to happen

YSJ: In fact last time, when Chandrababu made these promises, I said it cannot be done. I was very sincere in my appeal to people. I said according to state-level bankers committee reports, which is periodically presented to the CM. Any politician is fully aware of these reports and this SLBC report has clearly stated that these 87,612 crore are outstanding agricultural loans. How can any state budget support 87,612 crore write-offs knowing very well the limitations? If you see his manifesto, it comprises more than 600 promises and he has not even fulfilled 10% of it so much so that if you go the TDP website and look for their 2014 manifesto, you will not find it. It has vanished because if people see that manifesto, people will beat up Chandrababu Naidu.

Q: You mean that is the kind of anger that you see?

YSJ: That is the kind of anger, that is the kind of lies that he spoke about. Why is that this manifesto 2014 manifesto is not found on his own website. Generally, people are proud to show their manifestos why is the 2014 election manifesto hidden?

Q: In 2014, It was 40.8 per cent votes for the TDP and you had a higher vote percentage for the Lok Sabha. Yet you had only eight seats and he had 15 seats. Look at the assembly, as you said 0.3 per cent divided you in terms of voter percentage yet you had 67 seats he had 102 seats. This time what is the number that you are putting?

YSJ: The difference is hardly that 1 per cent what we speak of the halfway mark is 88, so we are 67 as we are just 20 short. Had we got those 20, we would have been 88 and that would have been one number short. This time will be different. Last time with everything going in his favour that was the percentage he got, this time, with everything going against him I am sure this margin will widen up.

Q: You said there was a Modi euphoria which worked to Chandrababu Naidu's advantage. In 2019, Chandrababu has walked out of NDA alliance. Do you think Modi factor exists today in 2019 or is it a Rahul Gandhi factor that exists?

YSJ: I wouldn't comment on this country probably when I speak of this country maybe Modiji's factor is still alive and maybe after this incident which took place, he has exhibited a stronger will. So probably his ratings might have been same or good nationwide. But as far as AP is concerned, neither Modiji nor Congress will score well. Let me tell you how Congress betrayed our state. Congress divided our state against out wishes. Another sin they did was not incorporating SCS demand into the AP Reorganisation Act. At least had they done it, we could have gone to the Supreme Court. By not doing that, by dividing the state against our wishes Congress has backstabbed us. As far as Modiji is concerned, even though he was in power for these five years, even though he was in a position to give Special Category Status to our state, even though it was a promise made in the Parliament, even though BJP put it up in their manifesto, even though Modiji himself promised SCS in Tirupati, yet he did not deliver. So as far as we are concerned, both the national parties have not done anything for our state. So, the people of AP, by and large, will not go well with any of these parties.

Q: Are you saying, there is a possibility of doing politics at a national level without doing business with either the Congress party or the NDA?

YSJ: I won't comment on that because it's for God and destiny to decide that. But all that we ask is, let it be anybody. We are sick and tired of hearing promises. When I speak, I represent the state of Andhra Pradesh. All that we ask is, you sign we support.

Q: So, whoever grants the special status you are in his favour, ideology is not your stand?

YSJ: I am with them. As far as my state is concerned, Special Category Status is more dear to us than anything else. Today, our children who complete their education with a degree in their hands have nowhere to go for a job. It took 60 years to build Hyderabad or Bangalore same with Chennai. What is it that we can offer more to attract investment to our state? How do we get hotels, hospitals, IT...How do we get any industry as a matter of fact? Only when special incentives are given that come with SCS. Only Special category states give these kinds of incentives like 100 per cent IT and GST exemptions. Only these kind of special incentives will attract investors to set up hotels and hospitals, factories, IT space. Only then you can create jobs for our youth.

Q: You know that there are many states that are poorer than Andhra Pradesh which will need this kind of status. There is the Bihar, Odisha. When Prime Minister says that he has to look into demands and being just for all the states, isn't that something that you should appreciate?

YSJ: I can't appreciate that the reason being divided, were these states like Odisha, Bihar were also present then and yet they chose to break out state with a pre-condition that they would give SCS to compensate for the loss. And the reason why I took that stand is this is the only state where birfucation took place where the demanding state took away the capital. This is the only instance you can check the entire history of the country during bifurcation. And this bifurcation took place against the wishes of the people. And to compensate this loss, then in those days, the entire ruling party opposition came together in the Parliament from all parties across the country and yet they broke the state with a pre-condition that they would give SCS to AP. And if the Parliament gives word which is not adhered to then where does democracy go?

Q: On a personal note, let's go down memory lane. I still remember the time that your father actually passed away in that helicopter crash and I still remember those scenes when you went to 10 Janpath and met Sonia Gandhi with your mother. What really happened? Your father was such a staunch Congressmen? What happened that things turned bitter?

YSJ: I don't believe in bitterness. I strongly believe vengeance is something and that is in the hands of God. I strongly feel it is God who's capable of taking vengeance and not anybody else. But as far as injustice done, that I would speak of and say I do not know why Congress party did whatever they did. My father passed away. The worst part is, till my father's death, I was not even in politics. In 2009, I was first time brought into politics, I became an AP and within 100 days my father passed away. And just at that instance, within 15-20 days after my father passed away I happened to visit the hillock, the site of the chopper crash. Right under the hillock, we also had this condolence meeting for my father. As I was walking down the hillock after visiting the site of the crash, the conversation on my return was that so many people had passed away following the death of my father. Many of them out of shock, some of them committed suicide and that was playing in my mind. And in the condolence meeting, I stated that I would come and visit every house where people died. I just thought it was an emotional statement and didn't really know that I had to take somebody's permission to make such statement. I was new to Congress party myself. It was just that one word that I gave them. And it was at my father's crash word that I made that statement and the Congress party did not want me to continue with that word. And I did not know why. And that was something emotional and for six months I tried to meet everybody in Congress. I met Sonia Gandhi and several others to prevail upon them to grant me permission to go. I never even knew I had to take somebody's permission. But once the situation started becoming clearer that I need to I had to take someone's permission and I went and asked. For six months, I tried to do that but they would always asked me to postpone.

Q: What was their objection?

YSJ: I don’t know they wouldn't tell me. After six months, I said enough is enough. If I had given a word I had to fulfil it no matter what. My father had a reputation of honouring his words and I being his son had given a word at his crash site if I were to not honour my words made my his crash site, what kind of a human being am I? So, I pushed. And then these Congress people from Delhi tried to stop. Basically, the locations Obviously the ensure state where | was visiting from one corner to another, I couldn't take a chopper. I had to take a car to go to every house. In every village and route, people were stopping me. Whether Congress party acknowledge or not dad was a legend. My father was a someone in AP. He had a legacy.

Q: You are saying, your father was bigger than the Gandhis?

YSJ: That apparently is what this translates to. Because I was travelling to every village, I was stopped at every place. Dad's statue would come up. The entire village was coming out to greet me, and I used to garland my dad’s statue there. And then I’d move on to the next village and the same thing was repeated. This was something the Congress did not like. They, instead, asked for me to call everybody to one location in a district and finish all the help I could give them there. I asked them if they had ever asked me for any help. Nobody asked me for any help. I was doing this out of my own will. I wanted to do because I gave my word; unfortunately, I never knew that this word would cost me something. But I did give my word and I was just fulfilling that.

Q: In your personal meetings when you had met Sonia Gandhi, was Rahul Gandhi ever present, and was Sonia Gandhi respectful to your mother when she accompanied you for these meetings?

YSJ: No, I have never met Rahul Gandhi. Towards the end, the situation was turning ugly. While I was going, the Congress high command who prevailed then, gave instruction to their many ministers, MLAs and MPs not to join me. I was going, people were with me, crowds were coming in, people from most villages I came across, stopped me. For six months, I kept asking for permissions but it wasn’t given to me. Then I pushed. When I started pushing, they had come out and tried to stop me from doing what I was doing. Then finally a stage had come when I saw the ugliness of it and then my mother, my sister and I had asked for an appointment with Sonia Gandhi, and we went there and pleaded for permissions to go. She met my mother and my sister separately and me separately, and told them that she would take me into the central ministry and later make me Chief Minister, but ask him not to go. And then I was told the same but they were not willing to let me go. After the meeting we came back here and had a discussion with the three most important women in my family, my wife, my mother and my sister and I told them that if I don’t do this, perhaps I will be made Chief minister now or later, but I would be dishonouring my words given at my father’s crash site.

Also Read: YSRCP To Sweep AP: CPS Survey

Q: So was it over you not being made Chief Minister that you fell out?

YSJ: No, it was never about politics neither was it about being the CM nor about the central ministry, it was just a word I had given which I had tried to fulfil. After the discussion with my family I was told in the end if, I stayed with the Congress I would be made a central minister and later Chief Minister but If I differed from there, I was honouring my father’s wishes. So I naturally chose to honour my father’s path. I had the support of my family. At that stage it is just political oblivion, you are fighting in the state, someone from Delhi is fighting with you, if I had to tender my resignation from the party then I had to contest as an Independent. We said we are going to take this path even if it was a one less taken. Even if we are in political oblivion, let’s do it is what I said. At least we can go down in history as someone who stood up for their word. Then we tendered our resignation which was accepted over the phone. Immediately the elections were also called. I had no symbol, no party, it was literally like contesting as an Independent. 14 days is all that I had for the symbol to penetrate. The entire state’s Cabinet ministers were camped there, my family was also split. My uncle was made a Central state minister and he was pitched against my mother. A lot of things that were not meant to be done was done. Despite all this, God was with us and we triumphed with a majority of 5,45,000 which was the highest in the 14 Lok Sabha. And they could not bear the fact that somebody had achieved. Then the TDP and the Congress came together to fight against me and filed many petitions against me. After my father’s death, they could not reckon the fact that I was becoming a political force. It was then they had come all out with vengeance and filed cases together. It was then that the TDP supported the Congress Chief Minister. The Kiran Kumar Reddy government had jacked up the prices of electricity. When that had happened we moved a no-confidence motion. TDP, even though it was the main opponent, issued a whip to protect the Congress government.

Q: So what do you think of Rahul Gandhi being the main opposition to the BJP and Narendra Modi? He has come out with a breakthrough game changer scheme called the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), which promises a basic minimum income gurantee. Is this going to tilt the voters in one particular direction?

YSJ: Whatever schemes that Rahul Gandhi has come out with, be it the Basic minimum income scheme and the farmer’s loan waiver scheme are all very good schemes. I don’t object that. But when one comes out with such schemes he should have the power and the sincerity to execute those schemes. The NYAY scheme promises anyone below the income bracket of Rs 12,000 to be given Rs 6,000 a month. Arithmetically this is wrong. He said that more than 5 crore people will benefit from this and more than 25 crore families will benefit from the scheme. Basically, the arithmetic is wrong. He said 20 per cent of the country’s population will benefit from this. Let me give you an example from my state. In Andhra Pradesh, it is the other way round. 80 per cent of the people in Andhra Pradesh come under the Rs 12,000 income bracket. In my state, there are over 1.7 crore ration cards, out of which 1.4 crore ration cards which multiplied with 3 people per family which comes up to 4.2 crore. Out of a population of 5 crore, 4.2 crore have Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards, which means in villages their income is less than Rs 5,000 per month coming up to Rs 60,000 annually in a rural set up and in urban centres it is Rs 6,000 and Rs Rs 72,000 annually. That is when I say that the arithmetic of the scheme is wrong. How can you justify and say that this scheme is only applicable to only 20 per cent of the people. When you speak of numbers and calculations at that platform it has to be right. One needs to be sincere with the arithmetic to deliver the promises made. The calculations are expected to be very precise. If the scheme is to cover 1.4 crore families and 4.2 crore in my state, I will only be more than happy. But then if it only covers 20 per cent of my people, the whole scheme falls short. And that I wouldn’t consider sincere. By and large, the thinking is good but the math needs to match it.

Q: Where do you stand today as far as alliances are concerned? There are so many regional parties that are in talks. You have expressed a lot of solidarity with KCR to somewhere stand together. Are you planning to join the 'Mahagathbandhan' or do you think both of you have the power to get to the BJP and Narendra Modi as the leader?

YSJ: I will speak of my state first; we have 25 MPs in our state, and god willing we sweep the state presuming that we achieve those numbers, our only demand will be to sign SCS to Andhra Pradesh. It is not that we will follow the Congress if they promise the SCS. ‘You sign we support’ is what we are looking at. As far as KCR is concerned, I am very thankful to him as he is the only person who stood up with us for the cause of the SCS. Even though he is not from my state, he pledged his entire 17 member of Parliament for the SCS. With 17 from Telangana and 25 from my state making it a collective of 42 MPs demanding for SCS it would become imperative for whoever forming the government at Delhi, to take a serious look and yield to SCS demand.

Q: Who’s going to make a better Prime Minister - Rahul Gandhi or Narendra Modi? Who has the capacity to lead this country for the next five years? Not just for Andhra Pradesh but beyond Andhra Pradesh for your country?

YSJ: Looking at it from the country perspective, maybe Modi has portrayed stronger will. But when it comes to Andhra Pradesh, I would say both of them have betrayed our state. This is something I need to make clear.

Q: What do you think of Rahul Gandhi contesting from two seats, one being a Hindu minority seat?

YSJ: Certainly looking at this it shows how insecure he is of his seat. That’s the outside perception given, but of course, these have their own calculations and I’m not one to comment on these calculations.

Q: What went through your mind during the16 months you spent in Jail, and in between being in jail to taking up the padyatra, what’s the thought process of YS Jagan in jail, and today?

YSJ: When my father was the Chief Minister I was never MP or MLA. I never set my foot in the secretariat, neither did I speak to any minister nor did I know any minister. I was not even in Hyderabad, I was in Bengaluru with my children taking care of my own business. When I was unjustly framed just because I differed with someone politically, people came together and went to another level of harassment. For anyone a bail is something mandatorily given if he is found not guilty within three months, this is said by the democracy. Yet I was denied bail, I was behind bars for 16 months. I blame the TDP and the Congress for that. These people talk about manipulating agencies like it is a crime. What did they do then? People in power should never become arrogant; they have God above them to judge them.

Q: Mentally what did you go through?

YSJ: Obviously there was a lot of mental trauma involved. The family, the kids they’ve seen my father as a Chief Minister, and now they are seeing their father, the Chief Minister’s son being put behind bars. They have to go back to school. People talk about these things. It effects the entire family. But I’m a person who believes in God. So I don’t keep anything in my heart. I leave it to God to do what is right to whoever according to his wisdom. Obviously, I came out hurt about it. But I’ve gotten over it. Things have changed and we have bigger things to worry about, our state most importantly.

Q: Did that period give you the resolve to come out and fight back? Is that what gives you this drive to become the AP CM?

YSJ: Obviously, you put a cat in a room and start hitting that cat every day you will find that cat one day retaliating. Me becoming CM of AP is something else. I have a legacy. People have seen my father and I’ve seen my father stay alive even after his death. I wish that for myself too. My objective and goal is to stay alive after death. That is my objective of coming into politics.

Q: Congress that has tried to break your spirit says it is a very democratic party and calls Narendra Modi Hitler. What would you say to them today?

YSJ: When these guys were in power they have done the exact same things they call wrong today.

Also Read: In AP, People’s Mandate Will Be For A Decisive Change