On Thursday, the Prime Minister held a breakfast meeting with BJP MPs from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
He interacted with the 15 MPs for about half an hour. According to a report in Eenadu, he called the cooperation with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu a positive development and said he received good feedback on Andhra Pradesh's administration.
The report also mentioned that the Prime Minister praised the increasing flow of investments into the state and described it as a very encouraging sign. The most notable point, however, was his direction to BJP leaders to respond effectively to the criticisms coming from YSRCP president Jagan Mohan Reddy and his party on social media.
If this report is accurate, it suggests the Prime Minister may have noticed that the party has become unusually silent in Andhra Pradesh politics. The AP BJP has long been split, with one faction leaning towards the TDP and the other towards the YSR Congress. But the issue does not lie only with state leaders.
The BJP high command has also sent mixed signals about its political strategy in the state. The party allied with the TDP in 2014 and came to power. TDP exited the NDA in 2018 over the Special Status issue. From then until 2024, the BJP and Jagan maintained a working relationship, despite the party's stance on corruption. While not official allies, the BJP supported Jagan in several cases while he helped the government pass bills in Parliament.
Ahead of the 2024 elections, the BJP received reports predicting a TDP victory and entered into a formal alliance. Yet, even after that, the party continued to appear supportive of Jagan in key cases. There has been no significant movement in Jagan's disproportionate assets case, and the CBI's progress in the YS Vivekananda Reddy case has been underwhelming.
The CBI has not even filed a petition to ensure Jagan appears in court every Friday. He secured an exemption citing his duties as Chief Minister, but the agency has not acted even after he lost power. When the high command itself sends such signals, state leaders naturally follow the same path.
If the report is true, it implies that meaningful change must start at the top before the Prime Minister expects change from BJP leaders in Andhra Pradesh.