Hyderabad, June 03: A day after the Congress high command snubbed Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy over his Odarpu yatra caper, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday praised Chief Minister K Rosaiah and made it clear that he had the full backing of the party’s national leadership.
Chidambaram, after inaugurating a series of development projects at Kalikiri, 80 km from Tirupati, felt life must go on though a great leader like YSR was no more. “We can pay homage to YSR by pledging to continue his schemes,” he said adding that money was no problem.
By invoking YSR and heaping praises on Rosaiah, Chidambaram sought to send a signal to the Kadapa MP that he should not entertain thoughts of being an heir apparent to the chief minister’s gaddi.
Chidamabram also delivered what sounded like a “guide to come up in public life” for the benefit of YSR’s son. “YSR, a great leader, had walked in the footsteps of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Such leaders would always be loved and remembered,” he pointed out. And then, turning his attention to Rosaiah, he said, “We have a very senior leader K Rosaiah as Chief Minister and young leaders like Speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy. Both of them should walk down the road laid by Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.”
He signed off expressing confidence in Rosaiah and hoping that the chief minister would implement welfare schemes with more vigour. Rosaiah said he had only one answer to those who had asked him whether he was making his mark in administration. “I am interested in the Congress mark and YSR mark,” he quipped and described YSR as modern Arthur Cotton.
——-Agencies