YSRCP politics in Andhra Pradesh assumes new colour: Disregard for statutes

We will give three months time with a condition that the state government should not hold elections till that time – Andhra Pradesh High Court

The High Court gave its piece of mind to the AG’s appeal seeking three months for removal of party colours on government buildings and panchayat offices. Dismissing the plea, the court directed the state government to remove the party colours on government buildings in three weeks. But Jagan has a dictator’s impulse to simply make decisions at his whim. He was in no mood to honor the court’s directive. How to circumvent the court directive? That was a big question that bothered Jagan’s think-tank. The problem of circumventing the court order seemed bigger than containing the corona virus in Andhra Pradesh.

The government was in a defiant mode. It came up with a simple solution – add a dash of a different colour. The state government, then, issues a GO to cleverly circumvent the HC directive by asking officials to add one more colour –mud colour signifying earth. The YSRCP’s colours green, blue and white get a new meaning and definition. Green symbolizes green revolution (agriculture and all that jazz), blue for blue revolution (water resources, acqua wealth), white for white revolution (milk, milk products). And lo, behold! The politics in Andhra Pradesh assumes new colour.

It is a different matter that Jagan’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which he once dismissed as a hoax, has been fiercely criticised by the Opposition as woefully inadequate to the point of irresponsibility. However, it is not politics as usual though. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s constant challenging of judicial decisions and mocking at the Constitution he swore to uphold undermines the legitimacy of the courts.

“No power can stop the state government’s plan to make Vizag as the executive capital. The executive capital will be set up in Vizag, whatever it takes,” Vijayasai Reddy asserted at a press conference to pour his vitriol against BJP state president Kanna Laxminarayana. A petition was filed in the High Court expressing fears that the state government was making plans to shift Andhra Pradesh Secretariat from Amaravati to Vizag. The court took serious view of Vijaysai Reddy’s comments and directed the AG to file a reply in 10 days. The issue of capital shifting was in the court, but Vijaysai Reddy utters “No power can stop the state government’s plan to make Vizag as the executive capital.” Vijaysai Reddy, however, was only articulating the leadership’s arrogance and seemingly utter disregard for the courts.

“Our leader Jagan is a man of his word, he won’t go back on his word. The state government has been very serious about implementing compulsory education in English medium in government schools. The government announced that only classes 1 to 6 would be converted to English medium in the first phase. We have trained teachers too. We will come up with a plan of action to implement English medium in government schools,” Minister of Education Dr Adimulapu Suresh thundered in what was considered as a complete defiance of the High Court directive.

The utterances come after the court scrapped the GO to implement compulsory education in English medium in government schools. He further said that the court verdict should not be seen either as victory or defeat. Hours later, the state government challenged the HC order in the Supreme Court.

The state government’s ordinance to remove Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar as State Election Commissioner is another example of Jagan or his think-tank’s clever way to circumvent the law. In less than one year, the Jagan administration has caught itself in a vortex of legal disputes. Jagan and his team had to cut a sorry face in more than 50 legal disputes, which is a record set by any state government in losing court cases.

All these court verdicts and the immediate reaction from the state government implies Jagan and his team lack respect for courts. It would be one thing if Jagan merely displayed a lack of knowledge of the Constitution. Ignorance can be corrected. However, the problem is not just that Jagan is ignorant of the Constitution; it’s that he doesn’t care. After all, a monarch is above the law. In the Jagan era, the courts and the Opposition are like cops walking the beat to protect the rule of law. Unfortunately, Jagan is thumbing his nose at both of them. None of the legal battles the Chief Minister is fighting is based on the best interests of the state, rather than on personal political interests.

Courts are essential to keep checks and balances; they are the bedrock of our democracy. No person, not even the prime minister of the country, is above the law. The sooner Jagan understands this basic premise of democracy, the better for him and his party.