Shadow over son-rise

The late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddys son,Y S Jaganmohan Reddy,is seeking his place under the sun but dark clouds...

The late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddys son,Y S Jaganmohan Reddy,is seeking his place under the sun but dark clouds are already gathering over his fledgling political career for indiscipline. After the Kadapa MPs obstinate claim to the chief ministers post,his proposed tour of Telangana districts,in defiance of a diktat from the Congress high command,has landed him in trouble again. In spite of being snubbed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi,a defiant Jaganmohan says he has merely postponed his tour,not cancelled it.

The proposed Odarapu Yatra a condolence tour to meet families of persons who allegedly committed suicide or died of shock after hearing news of YSRs death has raised tension as Telangana leaders demanding a separate state are opposed to Jaganmohan who is rooting for a united Andhra. Last week,it resulted in violence at Mahbubabad railway station between Jaganmohans supporters and opponents.

Many ministers,MLAs and MPs are loyal to Jaganmohan because of his late father. But several say his actions do not bode well for the party in the state.

You defy the high commands order to cancel your Telangana tour and then say it should not be seen as a stand-off. He says he respects and reveres Sonia Gandhi,then why did he not heed the diktat to drop his plan? says Karimnagar MP Ponnam Prabhakar.

I think he is trying to cover up his mistake by blaming the CM. We are going to complain to the Congress leadership about Jaganmohans activities and indiscipline, says Nizamabad MP Madhu Yakshi Goud. At least nine Congress MPs have vowed to complain to the party high command about Jaganmohan. For the first time,many MPs and ministers are expressing solidarity with Chief Minister K Rosaiah.

Many leaders feel that Jaganmohan should wait for his turn rather than forcing issues and confronting even the high command. It does not bode well for the party, says an APCC official.

Until his fathers death in September last year,Jaganmohan was known outside his district of Kadapa as a businessman with a finger in every pie. He has stakes in the media,power projects and cement companies. Jaganmohan got the Kadapa seat after his uncle,former Kadapa MP Vivekananada Reddy,decided to let him contest. Though he was elected in May 2009,Jaganmohan continued to remain a businessman,nurturing Jagathi Publications through which he controls Sakshi Telugu daily and news channel Sakshi TV.

Story continues below this ad

But all that changed with YSRs sudden death,after which the Congress high command decided to make Rosaiah Chief Minister. Riding on the sympathy wave,Jaganmohan staked claim for the chief ministers post but was politely rebuffed by the Congress high command. He continued to exert pressure through loyal MPs and MLAs,only to be told to back off.

And just when he seemed to have quietened down,Jaganmohan came up with his Odarapu Yatra,which many saw as a political gimmick. The first leg of the tour in the coastal districts passed off without any controversy.

Jaganmohans anxiety to climb the political ladder swiftly may cost him a few friends. Unable to bring either maturity or foresight into his politics,Jaganmohan has not only rubbed the Congress high command the wrong way,but even irked his fathers close friend,confidant and advisor,K V P Ramachandra Rao,the Rajya Sabha MP who had advised Jaganmohan to restrain himself.