YSR Congress party, which has been getting closer to Telangana Rashtra Samithi in its attempt to float a federal front at the national level, has found fault with Trinamul Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for putting up a aggressive posture against the Centre.
This is for the first time that YSRC, headed by Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, has come out a clear stand on the fight between the opposition parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Senior YSRC leader and former Ongole MP Y V Subba Reddy said his party had not supported Mamata in her fight against the Centre, because she had gone against the Constitution by opposing the raids by Central Bureau of Investigation.
“In the entire episode during the recent developments in West Bengal, Mamata was at fault. She has violated the Constitution of India and behaved in unjust manner. That was why, we did not support her,” Subba Reddy said.
He alleged that Mamata had done a mistake (in protecting the corrupt officials and party leaders).
“If there was no mistake on her part, why didn’t she cooperate with the CBI? It is the duty of the state government to extend cooperation to the Centre in punishing the guilty. She has ignored her duty,” the YSRC leader said.
By opposing Mamata, the YSRC clearly indicated, albeit indirectly, that it was supporting Narendra Modi in witch-hunting his opponents. Naturally, it gives a new weapon to the Telugu Desam Party.
Interestingly, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao also has been maintaining stoic silence in the recent West Bengal episode.
As he had gone all the way to Kolkata to meet Mamata to discuss the federal front issue in December, it was expected that KCR would extend his support to her. But he did not. However, unlike YSRC, the TRS chief at least did not make any comments against Mamata.
On the other hand, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who is also said to be a key partner in the federal front, did not defend the Centre, though he did not support Mamata.
He said the Central agencies should follow the court guidelines and hoped that everything would be settled in due course of time.