Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddys untimely death is a setback to Andhra Pradesh and the Indian National Congress. A hard working chief minister,YSR was known for taking bold decisions. A doer in true sense,he believed in keeping his contact with the masses alive. When I heard about the chopper crash,I was shocked. I met his family members including his son Jaganmohan and political adviser K V P Ramachandra Rao to offer my condolences. A big tragedy has befallen the families of the CM and the four others accompanying him,who died in the crash. Special Secretary P Subramanium,who was among those accompanying the CM,belonged to my district of Nellore. I was always known as a harsh critic of the Congress government,but that didnt stop us from discussing issues of public importance. We often met at public functions,and through some coincidence,often at airports. I first met YSR in the Assembly in 1978 the year I made my debut in the Assembly and YSR got elected to the Assembly from Pulivendula on a Congress (O) ticket. Among other young leaders in that Assembly was N Chandrababu Naidu. The Young Turks got along well. There was another link between YSR and me his father Raja Reddy was fond of me. In 2003,YSR undertook a statewide padayatra that helped the Congress wrest the state from the Telugu Desam Party,the following year. YSR was also known to be harsh on the opposition. That didnt stop me from lauding many of his welfare schemes. He had a vision for the state and his initiatives in areas like irrigation projects,free power and Arogyasri (health insurance scheme for the poor) earned the appreciation of one and all. During a recent public function in Nellore,he told Sonia Gandhi that even Opposition leader Venkaiah Naidu has publicly lauded the Arogyasri scheme. The last time we shared a platform was about a month ago during the inauguration of Star Hospital in Hyderabad. His untimely death,that has cut short a promising political career,is a huge loss for the entire state and not just the Congress. The writer is a former BJP president (As told to Suman K Jha)
