BJP will be destroyed in Andhra Pradesh, It’s a shraap: TDP MP Jayadev Galla

One of the wealthiest MPs, the 52-year-old foreign-educated lawmaker from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh, Jayadev Galla, is a multi-millionaire industrialist. As he contested his first election in 2014, Galla declared wealth worth over ₹680 crore. Jayadev is the owner of Amara Raja group of companies, set up by his NRI father who returned to India from the US three decades ago. The “Amaron” battery is the flagship product of this group which is diversified into several other fronts.

His attendance in parliament has been 84 per cent and he is known to be among the most articulate MPs.

TDP MP Galla Jayadev, who initiated the debate on the no trust motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday, mentioned Telugu blockbuster "Bharat Ane Nenu" of his brother-in-law and popular actor Mahesh Babu.

The industrialist-politician kicked off the debate with the mention of the movie to stress the point before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that "promises should be kept".

"The latest Telugu blockbuster 'Bharat Ane Nenu' which means 'I Bharat' is a story about an young NRI who returns to India after his father, who is a Chief Minister, dies suddenly.

"Bharat enters politics reluctantly and becomes a young, dynamic and beloved Chief Minister," said the Guntur MP.

"The recurring theme in this movie is about trust and his mother's advice Bharat keeps recalling. A promise is a promise. If a man makes a promise and does not keep it, he does not have the right to call himself a man.

"It was a blockbuster because the general mood of people reflects well in this film. People are tired of empty assurances and unfulfilled commitments," he said.

Jayadev, whose family owns Amara Raja Group, is the son-in-law of veteran Telugu actor Krishna, father of Mahesh Babu.

His mention of Mahesh Babu's movie triggered varied reaction on social media. Some remarked that he is trying to promote his brother-in-law's movie while others commented that this goes on to show how politics and films are deeply intertwined, especially in Andhra Pradesh. Galla said Andhra Pradesh was languishing in services and it had been reduced to an agrarian state after bifurcation.

Galla said ₹1.3 lakh loan burden was being put on the Andhra Pradesh. The state was a loser as during reorganisation funds were divided based on population, and resources were based on location, he said.

"Mr Prime Minister if you don't keep your promises, the BJP will be destroyed in Andhra Pradesh. It is not a threat, it is a shraap (curse)."

Galla referred to PM's election speeches in Andhra Pradesh in the run-up to 2014 lok Sabha elections, and said the BJP leader had asked people if they wanted to vote for clean, corruption-free Andhra Pradesh "by voting for us or choose to go for the rival opposition party and push Andhra Pradesh into corruption."

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom we trusted so dearly has deceived the state," he said.

"Modi while campaigning in Andhra Pradesh had said 'Congress killed the mother and saved the child'. Had I been there, I would have saved the mother too'. People of Andhra Pradesh have waited for four long years for him to save their mother, he added.

Ten takeaways from Galla’s speech:

• Latest Telugu blockbuster “Bharat Ane Nenu”, which means “I Bharat” is a story about a young NRI who returns to India after his father, who was a CM, dies suddenly. Bharat enters politics reluctantly and becomes a young, dynamic and beloved CM. The recurring theme in this movie is about trust and Bharat recalls his mother’s advice – a promise is a promise and if a man makes a promise and does not keep it, then he does not have the right to call himself a man. It was a blockbuster because the general mood of the people reflects well in this film. People are tired of empty assurances and unfulfilled commitments. The saga of Andhra Pradesh during the Modi and Shah regime is just that -- a saga of empty promises and unfulfilled commitments by the Government of India to the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh, a new State with an old name and a population of five crores.
• When the President of BJP met the BJP core committee members including MPs, MLAs and MLCs from Andhra Pradesh March 17 at Delhi, he declared to wage a war on the Telugu Desam Party. It is not a war between the BJP and the TDP. It is a war between majority and morality. It is a war between the Modi regime and Andhra Pradesh and the five-crore people of Andhra Pradesh. It is a war against discrimination shown by the Modi regime towards Andhra Pradesh. It is a war to honour an Act of Parliament and an assurance made by a Prime Minister in Parliament. It is a war between the authoritarian Machiavellian attitude of the Modi regime and the rights of the states that make up the federal republic of India. It is a Dharma Poratam or Dharma Yudh.
• Madam Speaker, this no confidence motion has been brought by the TDP for four reasons, namely, fairness, trust, priority and bias or rather, lack of fairness, lack of trust, lack of priority and lack of an unbiased approach towards Andhra Pradesh. Lack of fairness is about the unscientific and undemocratic bifurcation and its impact on the people of Andhra Pradesh. Lack of trust is about where the Modi regime has used misleading, delaying, denying, deflecting, confusing, collusive and coercion tactics to betray the people of Andhra Pradesh. Lack of priority is because Andhra Pradesh is getting the least priority and lack of unbiased approach is because funds were given to Andhra Pradesh are far less than what is being given to other projects across India. In my speech which reflects the voice of five crore people of Andhra Pradesh, I will be focussing on these four aspects.
• Instead of providing us relief, the Modi regime is creating more uncertainties and more challenges for us. I am not going back in history but I will certainly go back to 2014 when Andhra Pradesh was divided. We all know how, undemocratically, inequitably, arbitrarily, irrationally and by bulldozing the entire Parliament, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill was passed. This becomes clear if you look at the range of issues still languishing for resolution even four years later.
• Andhra Pradesh was divided in an undemocratic way. In an undemocratic way the Bill was passed in this Parliament. They know it very well as to how it was done. The doors were closed and cameras were off.
• Narendra Modiji, while campaigning in Andhra Pradesh had rightly said, and I quote: “Congress had killed the mother and saved the child. Had I been there, I would have saved the mother too.” The people of Andhra Pradesh fell flat for this statement. We were so thrilled when we heard this, and we were determined in our hearts and soul that come what may, we will be with Mr. Modi. We have waited. People of Andhra Pradesh have waited for four long years that Mr. Modi will save the mother.
• Let me remind this House that the Union Cabinet conferred SCS on Andhra Pradesh in its meeting on March 1, 2014 subsequent to the assurance made by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Other States have not been given an assurance by a Prime Minister on the floor of either House of Parliament and or has a Cabinet decision been made in this regard. This is a very dangerous precedent. Mr. Prime Minister, do you have any respect for commitments made by your predecessors? Indeed, should you even have a choice? What value does the word of a Prime Minister given on the floor of the House have? Can we believe that if you give an assurance, it will be fulfilled in the future even if you are not around? How can we function as a nation if the word of our Prime Minister given in Parliament is not respected and fulfilled?
• Mr Prime Minister, you also said: “I am a person, who will not eat or allow others to eat.” But to the utter disappointment of the people, you are protecting people like an A1 and A2 accused in Andhra Pradesh and many others. The country is aware how many cases on the family members of were dismissed, and tickets were given in the recent Karnataka Assembly Elections. This reflects how serious you are on corruption and on corrupt people. You raised the expectations of supporting and developing Andhra Pradesh only to share with them. Why should we have confidence and trust in you?
• Now, the BJP is using these flexibilities to claim that they are doing everything legally required – I am sure that this term will come up again and again in their speeches – as in the case of Railway Zone, steel plant and Metro, which will never see the light of day.