Andhra Pradesh: Jagan Reddy, the enfant terrible of Andhra politics

While in power, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was often accused of pursuing the poli-tics of vengeance, targeting his political opponents and framing cases against them. Barely a month after losing power, he finds himself getting a taste of his own medicine.

Andhra Pradesh police have registered a case against him and two senior IPS officers based on a complaint filed by the ruling Telugu Desam party (TDP) MLA Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju. Raju was formerly with Jagan’s YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and an MP from Narasapuram, before a bitter fallout with the leadership. He later joined the TDP and won in the recent Assembly elections.

In his complaint, Raju alleged that he was beaten up and tortured in police custody following his arrest in 2021 on sedition charges for questioning the omissions and commissions of the YSRCP government. Jagan’s critics view the police case against him as an instance of poetic justice for the vendetta politics that characterised his regime.

Dramatic fall

From a stupendous victory in the 2019 polls, bagging 151 seats in the 175-member Assembly, to a humiliating drubbing in the recent polls with its tally down to 11 seats, the YSRCP’s fall has been dramatic and humbling.

It was particularly shocking because the Jagan government implemented a robust welfare agenda and ensured the smooth transfer of benefits directly to the bank accounts of lakhs of beneficiaries across the state.

According to official estimates, Rs 2.54 lakh crore was credited under 29 schemes between June 2019 and January 2024, pushing the state into a deep debt crisis. Additionally, Rs 1.70 lakh crore was spent on various non-DBT (direct benefit transfer) schemes. These include loans, scholarships, subsidised rice and power, plots for homes and distribution of tabs to students.

“His defeat highlights the limits of populism. He has failed to provide good governance,” said senior journalist and publisher Ramakrishna Sangem.

Jagan made the mistake of putting all his eggs in one basket. “Over-dependence on freebies and caste-based polarisation turned out to be his undoing at the hustings,” said political strategist Prashant Kishor. “If you are not talking about creation of assets, infrastructure, investment and employment opportunities and only focusing on the distribution of freebies to some sections, you are taking a big strategic risk,” he added.

“The fundamental flaw is that Jagan, who was nurtured in the feudal and faction-ridden milieu of the Rayalaseema region, projects himself as a provider instead of meeting the aspirations of the people,” said political analyst and author Ramesh Kandula.

Turning point

In politics, perceptions matter a lot. Going after political opponents with false cases has created a negative image. The arrest of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu was the turning point as it reeked of a vengeful government, out to settle scores,” said political analyst Prof. K. Nageswar.

The arrest of Naidu on 9 September 2023, in connection with an alleged skill development scam, proved to be the final nail in the ruling party’s coffin. It generated sympathy for the opposition. The TDP, the actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party and the BJP proved to be an indomitable combination.

Though Jagan’s estranged sister Y.S. Sharmila, the state Congress chief, did not win the election, her campaign targeting the omissions and commissions of his government further damaged his image.

“Anti-incumbency was building up at the grassroots level. The people were angry over indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources like sand and minerals, besides encroachment of land by YSRCP leaders. In the name of distribution of house sites for the poor, the government acquired precious land from the farmers,” political analyst A. Krishna Rao said.

While Jagan indulged in heavy borrowing — the chief minister stated during the budget session in February that the total debt outstanding had gone up from Rs 4 lakh crore in 2019 to Rs 7 lakh crore — he did not pay heed to infrastructure promises such as the Polavaram irrigation project on the river Godavari, aimed at irrigating over seven lakh hectares of farmland.

His government came in for severe criticism for abandoning the Amaravati project, the brainchild of his bête noire Chandrababu Naidu. The farmers, who voluntarily donated 34,000 acres of land for the capital, demanded that the project be completed as promised.

The decision to bring in the Land Titling Act — which directs all owners of land or immovable property to register their assets with government agencies for a permanent title — just weeks before the announcement of the elections also appeared to have boomeranged. Farmers worried that the government would take away their land if they had no clear title.

These apprehensions were exploited by the TDP, which promised to do away with the Act if voted to power. The Opposition front succeeded in highlighting the ruling party’s alleged corruption in the liquor and sand business, which they failed to effectively counter.

During Jagan’s tenure, AP witnessed the exodus of big industrial groups from the state while new investments barely trickled in. Arbitrary cancellation of several projects initiated by the previous TDP regime created a hostile environment for potential investors.

Meteoric rise

Jagan’s rise was phenomenal — from a small-time realtor who used to occasionally help his father and former chief minister (of combined Andhra Pradesh) late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy during poll campaigns to a high-profile industrialist with interests in power, uranium and bauxite mining, cement plants, SEZs, infrastructure and media.

In fact, the meteoric growth of Jagan’s business empire since the Congress came to power in 2004 raised many eyebrows. During YSR’s tenure as chief minister (2004-09), Jagan was a businessman on a roll. However, a string of allegedly questionable business deals caught up with him after he quit the Congress and launched the YSR Congress Party in March 2011.

Opposition parties raised allegations of money laundering and FERA (Foreign Exchange Regulation Act) violations by companies owned by Jagan. With real estate investments and mining interests in Karnataka, he is believed to have business links with the controversial Reddy brothers of Bellary. TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu also alleged that YSR’s ill-gotten wealth had been channelled into Jagan’s media ventures — the Telugu daily Sakshi and a news channel by the same name.

Arrested on a disproportionate assets case and sent to Chanchalguda Central Jail in Hyderabad on 27 May 2012, he was released on bail after 16 months in jail.

CBI case

The crux of the charges against Jagan was that he had misused his father’s position to attract investments into his business ventures in return for doling out favours such as land allotments, irrigation contracts and mining leases. The CBI disclosed that he had taken Rs 1,172 crore from various investors as bribes for favours from the state government.

Jagan has denied the quid pro quo charges. This is a witch-hunt, he says, because he quit the Congress and floated his own party to carry forward the ideals of his charismatic father. Out of power, Jagan may now find the CBI case hanging over his head like Damocles’ sword.