Reunification remarks: Has Sajjala walked into the trap of Vundavilli's snide remarks?

Has Advisor on Public Affairs to Andhra Pradesh Government and official spokesperson of the YSR Congress Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy walked into the trap laid by glib talker Vundavalli Aruna Kumar, former Congress MP from Rajahmundry? Aruna Kumar has clung on to a case in the Supreme Court he had filed despising the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and challenging the Act of Parliament.

Recalling that the case would be coming up for hearing in February 2023, a belligerent Aruna Kumar made snide remarks against YS Jaganmohan Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, and observed that the next elections would put an end to the political career of the young leader.

Sajjala, a virtual mouthpiece of Jagan, is taken seriously by one and all and he responds to many situations clarifying the official position of the State Government. Sajjala, however, gave a knee-jerk reaction to Vundavalli's jibe. Laying emphasis on the fact that the YSR Congress was the only party that had fought against the bifurcation of the State, the Advisor said that the party would always welcome reunification of Andhra Pradesh (merger with Telangana). If there was an iota of chance, the YSR Congress would push for the unification of AP and Telangana.

It's not as if Sajjala is not aware that the reunification was impossible. He, as a matter of fact, mentioned that it's more than eight years since the States were separated, and that it's impossible to merge them again. Sajjala also mentioned that history could not be reversed and Aruna Kumar's attack on Jagan was malicious and uncalled for.

Talk about the reunification in the same breath by Sajjala seemed ludicrous and immature. Either he could have confined his response to taunting the former MP, who has no stakes to lose in politics, or he could just have ignored him. Sajjala could not recall how Aruna Kumar went and confabulated with Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrashekar Rao and how he had extended his support the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to expose the former MP's double standards. Sajjala could have called out the former MP's shenanigans and limited himself to asserting that AP would fight for its righteous share in its dues.

However, Sajjala's remarks on reunification of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana drew a lot of attention what with his positioning within the YSR Congress. The observations became the butt of ire of the TRS leaders; and the BJP and the Congress had dubbed the observations as a result of a nexus between the YSR Congress and the TRS. Jagan's sister Sharmila launched a trenchant attack on Sajjala, though the same was derided by all other parties.

Whatever the stand of the AP Government is, it should have been presented at the time of the hearing of the case within the legal frame work, so that the scope for opening of a can of worms would not have arisen.

Also, Andhra Pradesh must realise that it has been rebooted and it has to put things in place to surge ahead, instead of crying over the proverbial spilt milk. In fact, leaders of all parties in Andhra Pradesh took the Telangana agitation easy and always worked against its formation. This had recoiled, once the state formation was announced. The AP actually missed the bus by failing to demand what it wanted and what would have been better for the State post bifurcation.

The erstwhile Telugu Desam Government had stuck to the "special category status" that was promised by then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the floor of the Rajya Sabha. Eventually, the TDP Government made a pompous publicity of the special package, purportedly offered, by the BJP regime subsequently. However, neither came through. The money earmarked for the new capital was drained out to build temporary structures. For instance, the temporary secretariat built at Velagapudi had cost Rs. 750 crore as against the Rs. 650-core magnificent structure being built by KCR in Hyderabad.

At least, now, the YSR Congress leadership should give a proper direction to all its rank and file to maintain decorum and cordiality with the neighbouring Telangana which indeed made the best use of the opportunity of bifurcation and is flourishing on all fronts under the TRS regime. The welfare of people and development were so perfectly balanced in Telangana in the last eight and a half years, that the Telangana model beacme a cue for the TRS supremo KCR to showcase as his formula for his BRS officially launched on Friday, December 9, marking the anniversary of the Centre's 2009 pronouncement that Telangana would be formed soon.