india

Updated: Jun 11, 2019 22:17 IST

When the second assembly of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh convenes at 11:05 am on Wednesday, it would mark the beginning of an uncharted journey for its young chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Among all the other challenges, he will also have to deal with the wily former chief minister and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, who is already attempting to set the agenda for his government, while sitting in the opposition benches.

Naidu told his party MLAs on Tuesday that the new government had the responsibility to clear the pending installments, totaling upto Rs 10,000 crore, for the crop loan waiver scheme that he introduced when TDP was in the government.

“The fourth and fifth installments of loan waiver are pending clearance. Our government had given bonds to farmers with 10 per cent interest in this regard and they have to be paid by the new government,” Naidu said.

Jagan Reddy, after winning the polls, cancelled several of the projects Naidu government sanctioned before April 1, 2019.

Reacting to Jagan’s move, Naidu said investors would evince interest in the state only if they felt their investments would be safe.

“The efficiency of a leader will be known only when he is opposition. We shall put in our best efforts to raise our voice on behalf of people in the next five years,” Naidu added while carving out a plan of action for the TDP legislature party.

Political analyst and author Sriram Karri, however believes that Naidu won’t able to play the role of a strong opposition leader this time. “He is extremely weak politically…., while Jagan Reddy is strong. Infighting in the TDP will increase and Naidu will have to spend all his energy to maintain his grip on the party, rather than taking the fight to treasury benches. His low credibility would mean Jagan Reddy will get away with anything,” he said.