Hyderabad, May 19: Senior ministers are goading chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to step up the aggro against Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
At a meeting on Wednesday morning with the chief minister at the Secretariat on reservations in civic elections, one senior minister is understood to have told Kiran Kumar Reddy there was no point in dancing to the tunes of Jagan: “You have to take him head on. There is no way out.”
This outspokenness by ministers comes after the visit of Congress high command emissary Ghulam Nabi Azad to hold state party leaders’ hands and take their pulses.
According to senior ministers, the party must appoint a new president of the PCC, or clearly reassert its faith in the incumbent D Srinivas.
At present Srinivas is on an extension and no one, including Srinivas, knows how long he will be retained. “No lame-duck PCC chief will take active interest in the party,” one leader said.
The ministers wanted Kiran Kumar Reddy to signal serious intent on indiscipline by taking action against MLAs and ministers whose heart is with Jagan.
“If the party has to bounce back from the Kadapa defeat, it must stop licking its wounds and get ready for an all-out war,’’ said one minister.
“We must launch a counter- offensive. We are a national party. We are in power in the state and at the Centre. Yet we are worried about dealing with Jagan Mohan Reddy,” he said.
The ministers also pressed the chief minister to prevent Jagan from emerging as the Jayalalithaa of Andhra Pradesh.
“In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa won by addressing three rallies. People chose her because they were disgusted with the DMK. We should prevent Jagan Mohan Reddy doing a Jayalalithaa,” the minister said.
There is a feeling across the party leaders that Kiran Kumar Reddy, as the leader of the state, should exhibit courage in taking decisions.
“If you doubt your victory, you have already lost. If you think you will be able to win, you have better chances of winning.” the minister said.
–Agencies