Campaign for Jaganmohan gathers pace
Hyderabad, September 4, 2009
The campaign for making Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the late Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy as his successor, gathered pace today with his supporters losing no time and taking up the issue with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
As the move gathered momentum, interim Chief Minister K Rosaiah said he had no no "personal agenda" or "aspirations" and would go by whatever the party high command decides, Congress in charge for the state M Veerappa Moily said any political party would have to respond to the "will" of the people.
Mallu Batti Vikramarka, ruling party's chief whip in the Assembly, claimed that 148 of the 154 Congress MLAs were behind Jaganmohan and over 100 of them would be meeting here tomorrow.
The funeral of the late leader was on here but backers of 36-year-old Jaganmohan, a political novice, met Gandhi and reportedly handed over a letter backing his candidature.
Based on an informal decision taken at a meeting of the ministers of the YSR cabinet with the interim Chief Minister yesterday, the letter was said to have urged her to make Jaganmohan the next chief minister as he was the inheritor of his father's political legacy.
The letter is believed to have listed the names of all the ministers who were part of the YSR Cabinet, including Rosaiah. The sources claimed it also has the signatures of 120 of the 155 Congress MLAs.
"The Cabinet has thoroughly discussed the political scenario prevailing in the state.
"Keeping in view the developmental commitments and ongoing irrigation projects, besides the sentiments of the general public, we have unanimously resolved to propose the candidature of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy to succeed Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as the chief minister of state," the letter said.
"Just like YSR, Jagan is having a good following among masses from grassroots level and is acceptable to all sections, particularly the downtrodden and weaker sections for the chief minister's post," it added.
The letter sought to invoke "loyalty" clause to press for Jagan's candidature recalling YSR family's loyalty to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandh.
"To continue their dreams and also to fulfill your commitments to the people of Andhra Pradesh, Jaganmohan Reddy is the only suitable candidate in the present circumstances," Rosaiah and others said in the letter.
However, not not all in the party may blindly accept the demand for Jaganmohan's succession, party sources.
The High Command, they said, would wait for the mourning period to be over before deciding on YSR's successor.
The chances of interim arrangement continuing cannot also be completely ruled out, they claimed.
Chorus grows for YSR son Jagan as Andhra CM
Hyderabad, September 6, 2009
A condolence meeting organised by the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee for YS Rajasekhara Reddy on Sunday turned out to be an occasion for open campaigning for his son Jagan Mohan to take over as next chief minister.
At the end of the 10-minute multi-religious prayers and reading out of condolence messages and a 2-minute silence, a crowd assembled in the PCC HQ Gandhi Bhavan, majority of whom were young supporters of Jagan Mohan including women, got up shouting slogans demanding that YSR's son should be made the next chief minister.
"We want Jagan", said a number of posters carrying his pictures while a number of others carried pictures of YSR.
Jagan Mohan himself was not present on the occasion. He had just arrived here from Idupulapaya, two days after last rites for his late father.
There were also slogans shouted against some leaders who had criticised the attempts to make Jagan Mohan the next chief minister.
"VHR Rajya Sabha member V Hanumant Rao who had on Saturday criticised some comparison of Jagan ohan with late Rajiv Gandi who assumed Prime Minister ship after the death of Indira Gandhi.
Is Jagan cashing in on YSR death hysteria?
New Delhi, September 16, 2009
Brand YSR has been a carefully orchestrated campaign that began well before then Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's death in a helicopter crash. His horrific end added legend layers to YSR, but political analysts say the "outpouring of emotions" is a systematic campaign aimed at projecting his son, Jaganmohan Reddy or Jagan, as the sole heir.
Author and political science professor at Osmania University, raised questions on the authenticity of suicides and the building of temples soon after the CM died. He contended these reactions were part of the brand building exercise.
"YSR's death and the fact that some of his programmes reached the rural masses created sympathy for him. It is natural that this is passed on to his son and there are people who feel Jagan should be the CM. But I don't think all the suicides or the temples are real," he said.
It is pointed out that YSR's programmes made the Reddy community rich. But what confuses him is that all suicides were by lower-caste people, and not a single Reddy.
There are allegations that the police were asked to register the reason for several suicides as "shock because of YSR's death" when these were actually suicides by drought-stricken farmers.
One temple and sculpture of YSR - who was a Christian - was built and inaugurated within 12 days of his death.
Such rapid construction led to contentions that the temple was actually built for some other god and converted to suit the mood.
Jagan camp itching to join hands ?
New Delhi, September 13, 2009
With the Congress high command showing no signs of relenting over not making Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy Andhra Pradesh chief minister, his loyalists are getting restive. Some of Jagan's supporters are reportedly egging him on to break away from the Congress and form a regional party and even explore the possibility of merging with Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
This, they say, could give Jagan the platform of a national party and some clout at the Centre. The Jagan camp claims the support of 28 of the 33 Lok Sabha members of the party from the state.
But the hitch is the rebels, if they quit the Congress, will lose their Lok Sabha membership. It would be impossible for the group to muster the support of two-third of Congress MPs to effect a split.
In the state Assembly, the Kadapa MP has the support of nearly 120 MLAs, much more than the required two-third of the Congress legislature party. But the situation is different at the national level.
Rajya Sabha member KVP Ramachanda Rao, who was a close confidant of Jagan's father and late CM Y.S. Rajasehkhara Reddy apprised Jagan and his supporters of the thinking of the high command on Friday.
He had earlier had several rounds of confabulations with top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Sonia's political secretary Ahmed Patel and Law and Justice Minister Veerappa Moily, who is also the party general secretary in-charge of Andhra.
Sources said after the condolence meeting held for YSR, he convened a meeting of MLAs and ministers to brief them about the outcome of his talks with the central leaders.
At least three ministers reportedly said since the signal from Delhi was negative, there was no point waiting and that Jagan should launch a regional outfit.
Rao, however, advised restraint, saying there was still some hope.
A source close to the Jagan camp in Hyderabad said YSR's son was willing to wait. But if talks with the central leadership completely collapsed, the Congress rebels will contact Pawar.
NCP insiders denied any contact with Jagan or his supporters.
Analysts said Pawar may not like to rub the Congress the wrong way while he is engaged in seat-sharing talks for the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Congress sources in Delhi said the high command may take a final call on the Andhra succession issue only after the elections in Maharashtra and Haryana.
Rao, meanwhile, returned to Delhi on Saturday and apprised Moily of his talks with Jagan and other stakeholders.
The Congress brass is willing to consider options such as ministerial berth for Jagan at the Centre or deputy chief ministership or appointing him state Congress president. Incumbent party chief D. Srinivas could then be brought to the Rajya Sabha. But Jagan is not inclined to accept any of these offers.
It is unclear who will blink first.
But Jagan hasn't yet vacated the official residence of the late CM. The party, meanwhile, indicated that Sonia had toughened her stance over the issue. Pranab said: "The Congress will take an appropriate decision on the matter at an appropriate time." Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari was more forthright. He said: "There is a chief minister in Andhra. A Cabinet has taken oath. If there is a change in the situation, we will inform you."
Families paid to claim YSR shock deaths
A. Srinivasa Rao
Hyderabad, September 16, 2009
Andhra Pradesh Congressmen are going to extreme lengths to show how scores of people in the state had died of shock following former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's tragic helicopter crash.
Ever since Reddy's body was found in the Nallamala forests on September 3, there have been reports sourced to the Congress party of deaths from heart attacks and suicides from all parts of the state.
However, cross-checking some of these cases revealed an uncomfortable truth that many had suspected all along - that these people had died of natural causes and their deaths could not be linked to Reddy's accident. The investigation also exposed how cynical local Congress leaders, and in one case allegedly a state minister, had paid the families of those who had died from natural causes since September 3 to say the deaths were due to shock following the former chief minister's accident.
The money was evidently used to buy their silence on the actual cause of death of their kin.
These facts expose the local Congress unit's elaborate effort to spread lies about the deaths so that a myth could be created around Reddy and, many believe, also boost the chief ministerial prospects of his ambitious son, Jaganmohan.
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has periodically released 'bulletins' on the number of deaths due to heart attacks and suicides to the media, attributing them to Reddy's sad end.
The latest such 'bulletin' from the CLP says 462 people have died since Reddy's death was confirmed on September 3, 402 of heart attack while 60 committed suicide. According to these details, East Godavari district accounted for the highest number of 58 deaths, followed by 48 in Warangal district and 46 in Karimnagar district.
Hyderabad City recorded one YSR shock death.
Telugu Desam Party Warangal district unit president and Narsampet MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy said, "It is surprising that not a single person died of grief or shock in YSR's hometown of Pulivendula. But in my Narsampet constituency, four people died. I can confidently say that these were all natural deaths. It is a media hype perpetrated by Congress leaders. It is sad that Congress politics has stooped to such an extent."
Gandra Venkataramana Reddy, former Warangal district Congress committee president and Congress MLA said, "There might be some instances of false claims, but there are certainly some genuine cases of deaths and suicides of people due to shock and grief over the death of YSR in the initial days." However, even the Congress leader admits that there have been some false claims recently.
"There is no truth in the reports regarding the latest incidents of deaths. They might have been fabricated by the media for sensationalism," he said.
Inquiries made by Mail Today in a quick survey in parts of Warangal district revealed the charade perpetrated by local Congress leaders to build the former chief minister's image.
Jaggu dada to be deputy
The Congress high command may offer the post of deputy chief minister to Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the 37-year-old son of the late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
The party brass appears to be in no mood to succumb to the pressure tactics of Jagan.
The thinking is that if the party yields, there could be similar demand from sons of chief ministers of other states.
Sources said both Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are sympathetic to the YSR family and are eager to accommodate its interests.
The Congress president was keen to make him a Union minister.
But as the Jagan camp was reportedly cold to the offer, the party brass is open to the idea of making him the deputy chief minister.
Jagan, said a senior Congress leader, could work under the incumbent chief minister, K. Rosaiah, for a few months to a year before taking over the reins.
With the high command adopting a tough stand, KVP Ramachandra Rao, a close adviser of late YSR and a Rajya Sabha MP, said the campaign to make Jagan the chief minister was "not orchestrated" but was a public sentiment.
Party sources said the high command had taken a dim view of news reports that pro-Jagan ministers were not cooperating with the interim chief minister Rosaiah and that they could even split the party. The party brass told Rao in clear terms that the ministers must cooperate with Rosaiah.
But this did not seem to deter the Jagan camp as it continued to canvass support for him. As many as 13 MPs called on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday to plead his case. Mukherjee told them that the high command would take a decision in the best interest of the state and the party.
AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi, on his part, said he would not get involved in the ongoing succession battle and that it was up to the high command to take a call. He, however, said Jagan has "significant achievements" to his credit.
The Congress core group, comprising the prime minister, Sonia, Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel, discussed the Andhra imbroglio.
Law and Justice Minister and AICC general secretary in charge of the state, Veerappa Moily, who has been in constant touch with the Jagan camp, briefed the core committee.
Rao also held separate meetings with Patel and Moily. He is leaving for Hyderabad on Friday to discuss the high command's offer with Jagan and his close supporters. He is then expected to return to the capital in a day or two.
Courtesy: Mail Today
