Jagan's is a 48-hour fast. Even though both he and Naidu are fasting for the same cause — relief for farmers — Jagan is drawing more public attention. Why? Part of the answer is that Jagan's fast is a public mela: a highly publicized affair with two lakh people in attendance. In contrast, Naidu started his fast in the MLAs' quarters and has now been bundled by the police to the confines of a hospital. But more than that it's the image that Jagan portrayed of himself that's grabbing eyeballs and attracting crowds.
His seeming popularity has taken many by surprise. The poor, who have been his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's followers — seem to be with him as also a lot of youth who see in Jagan an energetic leader who will last long — hence, a good political investment.
Going by his tax returns and multi-thousand crore business empire that he has built in the last seven years, Jagan is a perfect example of a "have" . Yet lakhs of "havenots" in Andhra Pradesh see him as their messiah: a strong leader who will give them food, shelter and be their provider.
Part of this is due to the image of his now deceased father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. YSR used his five-year tenure to shower largesse on a vast number of people using public resources. Power was free, rice was doled out at Rs 2 pr kg and dwelling units given at dirt cheap rates, major surgical operations were free of cost and there were educational scholarships too.
Although all these benefits were for the poor, anyone who was resourceful could benefit. YSR's government had so tweaked the statistics that 85% of Andhra's population was classified as below the poverty line (BPL). So, YSR's government was effectively able to garner national funds for this purpose.
The fact that the first phase of YSR's rule coincided with a booming economy also helped. With real estate prices zooming upwards, he sold government land to finance his various welfare measures. This created a larger than life image for YSR and helped him to romp home in his second term.
After YSR died, the people who had benefitted from him transferred their trust to his son Jagan, who has been continuously touring the state promising the goodies that his father gave them. (It's another matter that if he were to ever get to power, he would find it exceedingly difficult to deliver on the promise.)
At present, though, seeing his popularity, many Congress MLAs are seriously having doubts about whether they should continue in the party.
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