Hyderabad,September 05:YSR congress is facing litmus test as over a dozen MLAS are developing cold feet o their resignation issue.Jagan already caught in a web of investigations by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate ( ED) into his alleged illegal assets, YSR Congress president Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy received another jolt on Sunday when at least nine out 29 MLAs, who had earlier resigned in his support, abstained from a crucial meeting convened by him.
The meeting was convened against the backdrop of reports that Jagan could be arrested by the CBI any moment and the campaign by the Congress that at least half a dozen MLAs who pledged support to him would return to the Congress fold. In fact, Jagan himself called every MLA personally and asked them to attend the meeting without fail.
However, much to his dismay, only 20 MLAs turned up at the meeting convened at his posh Lotus Pond residence to chalk out the future political strategy in the event of his arrest, besides mobilising support from “ friendly parties” at the national level to counter the witch- hunting by the Centre Sources said at least three to four MLAs who attended the meeting are likely to backtrack on their resignations.
The Jagan loyalists are crying foul over the attempts by the Congress to lure the MLAs. Putting up a brave front, Rajampet MLA A. Amarnath Reddy asserted that there would be no going back on their resignations.
Another Jagan loyalist Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose announced that the MLAs in the Jagan group would meet governor ESL Narasimhan and assembly speaker Manohar on Monday and pressure them to accept their resignations at the earliest.
Jagan will be going to New Delhi on Monday to mobilise support of the Opposition parties in his fight against the Congress. He is expected to personally meet BJP leaders L. K. Advani, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, Janata Dal ( United) leader Sharad Yadav, CPM secretary Prakash Karat and CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta.
It is unlikely that he would get support from the parties, except the BJP, in view of the nationwide debate against corruption.
Legislators, who quit in support of Kadapa MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, would meet Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker and Governor tomorrow to urge them to accept their resignations.
“The MLAs would meet Speaker and also Governor. We will tell the Governor about the attempts to defame late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in the FIR (of CBI over its probe into cases related to Jagan). Though the Governor is not concerned with resignations, we would like to tell him about it,” rebel Congress MLA P Subhash Chandra Bose, who too has submitted his resignation, told reporters after a meeting with Jagan here.
Twenty-six MLAs, including two from TDP and one from erstwhile Praja Rajyam, had resigned from their posts in protest against the alleged inclusion of Rajasekhara Reddy’s name in the CBI’s FIR.
Asserting that there is no threat to its government with the resignation of MLAs, the ruling Congress had said there was no need to persuade them to take back their resignations.