Hyderabad, January 02: YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy faces attack from two rival fronts — from Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Congress and main Opposition Telugu Desam Party at a time when 7 Assembly assembly by-polls are lined up and another 17 could face by-elections soon.
By announcing that his party would not field its candidates in six Telangana constituencies, where sitting MLAs quit demanding creation of a separate state, Jagan gave fresh ammunition to Congress and TDP to accuse him of having a — tacit understanding — with Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
Congress and TDP are keen on raising their pitch against Jagan if and when by-elections take place to the 17 seats in Andhra-Rayalaseema regions and project him as a — separatist –, unlike his late father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy who stood for a unified state.
Jagan’s alleged — support for Telangana statehood cause — has angered the pro-unified groups in Andhra-Rayalaseema regions who vowed to decimate the YSR Congress if it did not reverse its stand.
For long, there has been talk that Jagan has entered into a tacit understanding with TRS to gain a foothold in Telangana region as well though the YSR Congress party did not clearly spell out whether it is in favour of a separate state.
Jagan, his confidants say, is expected to react to the Opposition campaign only after the (by-poll) battle lines are drawn.
Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Kollapur, Adilabad, Kamareddy and Station Ghanpur¿-all in Telengana region–are scheduled to go to by-elections following the resignation of sitting MLAs (except in Mahbubnagar where the local legislator died of heart-attack). These five MLAs quit on Telangana statehood issue.
–Agencies