Hyderabad, April 15: Loyalty to the YSR family or the cause of Telangana? Congress leaders in Telangana, who had been on the horns of a dilemma, seem to have plumped for the former.
As YSR’s son and Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy began visiting Khammam district yesterday to console the families of those who had died on hearing the news of the demise of his father, Telangana Congress leaders seem to have been caught on the horns of a dilemma _ whether to associate with him in expression of loyalty or keep away from him and be with the masses who are demanding separate statehood for Telangana. Finally, loyalty to Jaganmohan Reddy appeared to have outweighed.
In Khammam district, Labour Minister Ramiredy Venkata Reddy, Chief Whip Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, AICC secretary Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy and other prominent leaders of the Congress in the district followed him on his Odarpu yatra regardless of the fact that Jaganmohan Reddy is considered an icon of united Andhra movement.
Today, it was the turn of IT Minister Komatireddy Venkata Redy to join his comrades in Khammam by extending an invitation to Jaganmohan Reddy visit Nalgonda and console not only the families of YSR’s admirers but also the families of those who gave up their lives for the Telangana cause.
“If Jaganmohan Reddy is willing to visit the families of those who ended their lives for the Telangana cause, there is nothing wrong in being with him. In fact I am inviting Jaganmohan Reddy to visit the families of both the categories,’’ Venkata Reddy told ENS over telephone.
Then there is Station Ghanpur MLA Rajaiah (Warangal district) who extended the same invitation to Jaganmohan Reddy. “There is no political angle to it. What is wrong if Jaganmohan Reddy visits the families of those who had committed suicide for the Telangana cause as well?’’ he asked.
But Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) seems to have smelt a rat in the expression of sudden love for Jaganmohan Reddy by Congress Ministers and MLAs hailing from Telangana districts.
For the first time, TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao had yesterday, before leaving for Delhi, trained his guns on the young Congress leader since he appeared to have sensed a new alignment of Congress forces that might, in the long run, do damage the Telangana movement.
According to TRS sources, there is apprehension that Jagan might jeopardise the Telangana movement once the party leadership starts listening to him which is likely since he is drawing huge crowds. To forestall such an eventuality, the separatist party has chosen to hit out at Jagan and expose the grand design of the Congress elements, the TRS sources said.
–Agencies