Sonia angry with Jagan for his defiant attitude

The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, is so displeased with Jagan Mohan Reddy’s insistence on continuing with his Odarpu Yatra that she told the leader of another party who had called on her that she did not like the defiance of the party diktat being shown by the Kadapa MP.

Despite this, the Kadapa MP is firm on hitting the road on June 14 even if he doesn’t get the go-ahead from the party leadership for the Odarpu yatra. He had put off the yatra that was scheduled to resume on June 8.

Mrs Gandhi told the visiting MP that she did not like Jagan’s defiance of the party leaders. She reportedly spoke about a letter written to her by Jagan’s MLA mother, Ms Vijayalakshmi, seeking an audience with her.

Though the contents of the letter are not known, Mrs Gandhi apparently told the MP that the tone of the letter was not acceptable as it clubbed political issues and family sentiments. That, according to the Congress president, was not acceptable.

According to sources close to the MP who called on Mrs Gandhi, the Congress high command is in no mood to allow Mr Reddy to resume his Odarpu Yatra.

“We have asked him to support the state leadership and behave in a manner acceptable to party, but his adamant attitude and gestures have shown that he is not prepared to support the leadership. In such a situation how can we support his yatra?” Mrs Gandhi reportedly said.

The party high command is not going to consider any of Jagan’s pretexts or explanations till the time he apologises to the party, without insisting on being allowed to take up the yatra, said sources.

Mr Jagan, who was in Anantapur on Sunday morning to attend a marriage function refused to answer any questions from the media regarding the yatra. He only repeatedly asked: “Who told you the Odarpu Yatra will not continue?”

Jagan, CM avoid each other at airport lobby

The Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, left the commemoration meeting for the departed Congress leader, Koneru Ranga Rao, before the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, arrived.

Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy left for Gannavaram airport 10 minutes after the arrival of the Chief Minister. Though the two leaders spent about 15 minutes in the airport, they did not speak with each other. Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy left for Bengaluru later.

Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy reached the city by Narsapur Express at 5 am and rushed to a local hotel. He visited the Kanaka Durgamma temple at 9.15 am and and had left at 11.40 am from the Gudavalli village.

Meanwhile, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s proposed Vodarpu (consolation) yatra from April 2 has sparked off a controversy even before it began, particularly from Congress leaders hailing from the Telangana region.

The Congress MPs, Mr V. Hanumantha Rao and Mr Madhu Yashki Goud, have reportedly complained to the party high command that Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s yatra in Telangana at this juncture will unnecessarily lead to troubles when the situation across the region is now under control. Apart from these MPs, the former Union minister, Ms Renuka Chowdary, has reportedly met the high command leaders in Delhi and complained against the tour in Khammam district as some party leaders who were expelled were organising the tour.

The Nizamabad MP, Mr Madhu Yashki, told the media on Sunday that it would be better if Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy confines his tour to the coastal Andhra area.

CM mounts direct attack on Jagan

The Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, has expressed anger at the constant criticism of the state government by the Sakshi newspaper owned by Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, signalling that the rift between them has widened.

In a review meeting held on Wednesday, Mr Rosaiah wondered loudly why the newspaper was always accusing his administration of being dysfunctional and of not implementing the pet schemes of Jagan’s father YSR, despite getting so many government advertisements.

He also added that the ministers and MLAs seemed to be insensitive to criticism against him but took care to visit Jagan whenever he was in town.

At this point, one Cabinet colleague told Mr Rosaiah that ministers would refute the allegations in case he directed them to do so. Mr Rosaiah was provoked and asked his office attendant to bring a copy of Sakshi newspaper and showed the ministers a front page report on how the government was harassing genuine ration card holders in the guise of weeding out bogus cards.

“You ministers and MLAs regularly go and meet him and next day such stories appear,” Mr Rosaiah reportedly said. “What message does that give?”

Two ministers then intervened and justified Sakshi by saying that newspapers had to print such stuff to keep up circulation. “Is it for this that we (the government) give more advertisements to that paper?” asked the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, Sakshi continued its tirade against the state government by publishing a report on how YSR’s dream scheme Pavla Vaddi was being torpedoed.

The most recent tirade against the government was a report published in Sakshi on how YSR’s dream scheme Pavla Vaddi (25 paise interest scheme to women self-help groups) was being torpedoed because of the non-release of Rs 450 crore towards reimbursement for the last six months.

Sources said the Chief Minister was also peeved over Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy not bothering to call on him even once though he had visited the young MP several times after YSR’s death.

The Rajya Sabha member, Dr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, had urged Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy to meet Mr Rosaiah but the latter did not bother.

The only occasion when Mr Rosaiah and Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy met was at an MPs conference held sometime back in Jubilee Hall where the Kadapa MP came down heavily on government over non-implementation of YSR’s pet schemes.

Jagan gets Z category security

Intelligence inputs suggesting threat to the life of Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, particularly from factionists, has led the State Police to enhance his security cover from Y to Z category.

The Security Review Committee (SRC), which will be holding its first meeting since the death of YS Rajasekhara Reddy, either on January 20 or 21, to review security of VVIPs, will decide whether Jagan’s security needs to be further beefed up.

Top sources told Express that security to YSR’s son was revised recently following intelligence reports of a possible threat to his life, especially after his father’s sudden death.

‘‘More than the Maoists,’’ sources said, ‘‘the threat comes from factionists who have been emboldened by YSR’s death.’’ The name of the young MP, who hails from the faction-ridden Kadapa district, was linked to the sensational assassination of Telugu Desam legislator Paritala Ravi a few years ago and the Opposition party had demanded that he be probed in the case. Y category means the VIP will have about 11 security personnel but in Z category, the number of gunmen almost doubles up. ‘‘Jagan has been provided with a guard (which comprises four personnel) at his residence, about four PSOs, an escort vehicle with components (read personnel) from the City Security and Traffic wings. Besides, a door-frame metal detector has also been put up at his place of stay,’’ the sources said.

Jagan is perhaps the only MP from the State to have this kind of security cover. He gets even more security during his visits to Kadapa.

At the SRC meet, security cover for Chief Minister K Rosaiah, Rajya Sabha member and YSR’s close aide KVP Ramachandra Rao, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and a host of other Rayalaseema politicians besides police officers will be reviewed. ‘‘Accordingly, security cover will be enhanced or cut down,’’ sources said.

One particular IPS officer, who is learnt to be having about 26 security personnel, may end up with lesser number after the review.

The SRC is also likely to decide whether to strip YSR’s trusted aide Suryanarayana Reddy alias Sureedu of his Additional PSO status, bestowed upon him by the late chief minister.

Since YSR’s death, Sureedu has been working for Jagan while drawing salary from the Government.