States of flux
THE WEEK India|August 11, 2024
Having shed their NDA-friendly image, the BJD and the YSRCP are reorienting strategies to hold on to their space in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh
PRATUL SHARMA
States of flux

Protests by political parties are a hallmark of a functional democracy, with their decibel levels often hinting at shifting alignments. On June 28, a day after the president’s address to Parliament highlighting the government’s achievements, the opposition protested inside the house, demanding discussion on the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) paper leak case. Members of the INDIA bloc entered the well of the Rajya Sabha and even staged a walkout. What might have been dismissed as usual ruckus took an interesting turn when the Biju Janata Dal joined the protest. The party was upset that there was no reference to Odisha in the president’s address.

For the first time in the party’s 27-year history, its members entered the well of the Rajya Sabha. The BJD, led by former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, is known for its disciplined and constructive role in Parliament. The act of defiance indicates the changing political realities in Odisha. At the beginning of the 18th Lok Sabha, the BJD made its political position clear, shedding its NDA-friendly stance of the past decade.

Similarly, the YSR Congress Party, half the BJD’s age and founded by former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, also faces changing dynamics. Both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh had simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha elections, where the ruling parties were voted out, giving an impressive mandate to the BJP and the NDA. Both the BJD and YSRCP, seen as BJP-friendly in their states, supported the Centre on key issues and helped pass several legislations in Parliament.

The YSRCP, which has 11 members in the Rajya Sabha and four in the Lok Sabha, also held protests inside Parliament over the lack of special status for Andhra Pradesh in the budget, and against post-poll violence in the state, which killed 31 people. The INDIA bloc members joined the protest, bringing the Andhra party closer to their side.

This story is from the August 11, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 11, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEK INDIAView All
By- and large
THE WEEK India

By- and large

The stakes are high in the assembly bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, which will see a direct face-off between the Samajwadi Party and the BJP

time-read
4 mins  |
November 24, 2024
The price of surprise
THE WEEK India

The price of surprise

Rajdeep Sardesai’s new book is a gripping election post-mortem that offers candid glimpses of Indian politics

time-read
4 mins  |
November 24, 2024
Mother India, RELOADED
THE WEEK India

Mother India, RELOADED

Like her grandmother Indira did in the 1960s, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is channelling her motherly instincts to win her electoral debut, in Wayanad

time-read
8 mins  |
November 24, 2024
Olympics, 2036: Host and ghosts
THE WEEK India

Olympics, 2036: Host and ghosts

The Indian Olympics Association (IOA) has sent the International Olympics Committee (IOC) its ‘letter of intent’ to host the Olympics in 2036—appositely enough the centenary of the very year, 1936, when Adolf Hitler hosted the Games in Berlin!

time-read
2 mins  |
November 24, 2024
Bully in White House isn't bad news
THE WEEK India

Bully in White House isn't bad news

Most of us claim to be nice people. We work hard, we give to charity, we love our families, we don’t cheat, we pay our taxes, we are kind, we respect teachers, we don’t jump red lights, we respect other faiths, we read to children, we believe in democracy, we cheer free speech, and we hate Donald Trump. We think all nice people do all these things.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 24, 2024
William Dalrymple goes further back
THE WEEK India

William Dalrymple goes further back

Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
The bleat from the street
THE WEEK India

The bleat from the street

What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Courage and conviction
THE WEEK India

Courage and conviction

Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
EPIC ENTERPRISE
THE WEEK India

EPIC ENTERPRISE

Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus

time-read
4 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Upgrade your jeans
THE WEEK India

Upgrade your jeans

If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024