On Good Friday, Chandrababu Silently Wins Over Jagan

YSRCP chief and former CM Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was reportedly gearing up to target the state government on the occasion of Good Friday — a significant day for the Christian community. His plan was to highlight how, during his tenure, pastors and Christian religious leaders were given a monthly honorarium of ₹5,000, which he claims the current coalition government had discontinued.

Jagan had even mobilized his party leaders to launch a coordinated attack on the government for allegedly suspending the welfare scheme meant for pastors. The stage was set for a politically charged Good Friday message.

However, in a twist no one saw coming, the Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government issued fresh orders just ahead of the holiday — reinstating the ₹5,000 monthly honorarium for pastors and Christian clergy. Not stopping there, the government also announced it would enhance the implementation of this scheme, making it more effective than before.

In a further surprise, the government declared that it would disburse the pending dues from the past 7 months — counting from the time the current government came into power. On Good Friday itself, each eligible pastor listed in the government’s beneficiary list is expected to receive a lump sum of ₹35,000. The state has sanctioned ₹30 crore towards this initiative.

This unexpected decision has effectively neutralized Jagan’s planned attack, leaving the YSRCP leadership in a fix. Leaders from the ruling coalition are now claiming that the move has left Jagan “speechless,” right when his party was attempting to build a narrative that the coalition conspired to end a welfare scheme started during the YSRCP regime.

By reviving the scheme and rolling out dues in a timely and symbolic manner, the TDP-led government seems to have outplayed Jagan’s political strategy — and done so without making a sound.