Jagan defies diktat, firm on yatra

Defying the diktat of the Congress high command, the Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has decided to go ahead with his tour of Warangal district to console the families of those who died after the demise of his father, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.

Though negotiations between Mr Reddy and the party leaders were continuing even late at night, it is learnt that he is adamant about undertaking the tour at the time of going to press. He will take the InterCity Express to Mahbubabad, about 200 km from here, at 7.45 am on Friday, if he does not change his mind. There is a likelihood that he may be arrested.

On Thursday morning, the Congress leader and Union minister, Mr Veerappa Moily, talked to Mr Reddy and asked him to postpone the tour. He told the Kadapa MP that he was talking on behalf of the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

Mr Moily seems to have told Mr Jagan that the high command was aware of the sentiments attached to the yatra, but cautioned that it would be better to postpone it because of the strong opposition it had triggered from pro-Telangana sections. However, Mr Jagan reportedly told Mr Moily that he could not postpone the tour as it had been announced.

Later, Mr Moily met Mr Jagan's mentor, Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, who was in Delhi, and asked him to convince the MP to postpone the tour. Mr Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president, also spoke to Dr Rao and Mr Reddy.

Dr Rao arrived from Delhi on Thursday evening and tried to persuade Mr Reddy from undertaking the tour. But he did not succeed.

As of now, things are headed for a political showdown between Mr Reddy and the state government. Sources said that the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, was insistent on implementing the high command diktat and had instructed police officers to take necessary steps.

This means Mr Reddy might be taken into custody by police on the contention he had no permission to conduct a tour and the law and order situation in Warangal was not conducive.Sources said intelligence wing had informed the state government about the movement of some Maoist dalams in the district and about plans by some Telangana groups to stall the tour.

After talking to Mr Jagan, Mr Moily and Mr Patel also informed the high command decision to Mr Rosaiah and the PCC chief, Mr Srinivas, and urged them to see to it that the yatra was postponed.

Following this, Mr Rosaiah also called up Mr Jagan over phone and conveyed the high command advice. But the Kadapa MP said it was not fair to ask him to postpone the tour.

“I don’t understand what sin I am committing,” he reportedly told the Chief Minister. “Do you think the Congress will benefit from postponement of my tour?”

Mr Rosaiah, who later addressed the media in connection with another issue, said that Mr Jagan had not sought permission from the police for the yatra. To a question, he said the party high command would take care of the situation.

The Chief Minister also held an informal cabinet meeting and told ministers what transpired between him and Mr Jagan and also what the high command wished for.

In a deft move, he made the ministers endorse the high command decision and deputed the home minister, Ms Sabita Indra Reddy, and the agriculture minister, Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, to meet Mr Jagan and convince him against going on tour. They met him but he did not relent.

Later both the ministers held a high level meeting with the DGP, Mr R.R. Girish Kumar, the intelligence chief, Mr Mahender Reddy, and other police officers. They again left for Mr Reddy’s residence at 8 pm and were closeted with him.

Mr Rosaiah, who left for Ongole, told mediapersons there that the high command had not approved of Mr Jagan's tour. “In case there will be a tour, the law and order machinery will take care of things,” he said.