The Congress high command had asked Jagan Mohan to call off the yatra after one of his earlier tours to Mahabubnagar had resulted in large-scale violence triggered by Telangana activists.
Congress MP Jaganmohan Reddy is set to start his Odarpu yatra (consolation tour) from Srikakulam on July 8, YSR’s birthday, despite the opposition of his party.
The Congress high command had asked the MP from Andhra
Pradesh to call off the yatra after one of his earlier tours to Mahabubnagar had resulted in large-scale violence triggered by Telangana activists. The former Andhra chief minister’s son, however, has tried hard to get the high command to okay the tour.
He recently met Sonia Gandhi to persuade her that the tour was personal, not related to politics.
Andhra chief minister K Rosaiah made known his unhappiness about the tour. “He [Jagan] knows that the high command is not in favour of his tour. If he still wants to make use of his freedom, he can. A few MLAs and MPs sought my suggestion on their participation. I told them since the high command is not in favour of the tour they too should stay away from it,” Rosaiah said.
The high command had said there was no need for a tour if the purpose was to console the families of people who died out of shock after YSR’s death. But, in an open letter Jagan said that Sonia wanted him to call all the affected families to one place and console them. “But, I promised the people that I would visit them personally. As YSR’s son, it is my duty to keep my promise. So I will visit them,” Jagan said.
Rosaiah took objection to the letter, “The meeting [with Sonia] was one-to-one. It is not right on his part to make the details public,” he said.
High command loyalists and Rosaiah supporters also took objection to Jagan’s belligerence. “YSR rose to that level because of the blessings of the Gandhi family. Jagan does not have the stature to challenge the high command,” P Govardhan Reddy, a senior Congress leader, said.
However, Jagan loyalists are confident that the high command would not act against Jagan as the party is in a bit of a tight spot because of the Telangana agitation. “There is no leader to replace YSR in the party. Rosaiah has always been seen as a stand-by option, not a permanent solution. The high command would never be able to throw Jagan out of the party. If that happens, the party will land into deep trouble,” a Jagan aide said.
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