Clear battle lines have started emerging in the ruling Congress party in Andhra Pradesh between the supporters and opponents of YS Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of departed leader Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
Almost a week after the death of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash, Andhra Pradesh is facing an unprecedented situation as some of the ministers in the state seem to be staying away from their offices and are not extending cooperation to the Chief Minister Ken Rosaiah as they were upset with the party high command for not installing YSR's son Jaganmohan Reddy as chief minister.
The Communist Party of India-Maoist on Tuesday finally broke its silence over the tragic death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. The outlawed organisation described his death as the end of an era of a 'dictator, a war lord and an undemocratic World Bank agent'.Koteshwara Rao alias Kishenji, a senior underground leader of the CPI-Maoist, dismissed the outpouring of grief across the state after YSR's demise as an orchestrated show.
Dr K V P Ramachandra Rao, adviser to the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and the man believed to be behind the open campaign for making Y S Jaganmohan Reddy as Andhra Pradesh's next Chief Minister, on Tuesday said Congress President Sonia Gandhi has promised to look into the leadership issue.
As the sympathy generated by Rajasekhara Reddy's tragic death has started ebbing, it has become more or less clear now that the Congress high command was in no mood to oblige aggressive campaigners projecting Jaganmohan Reddy as his successor.
Thirty-six-year-old Jagan, who along with his mother and other family members returned to Hyderabad on Sunday after performing the last rites of his father in home town Pulivendula, issued a statement urging his supporters to remain calm, exercise restraint and leave the decision to the Congress high command.
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was laid to rest at his estate in Idupulapaya near his home town of Pulivendula at 1730 hrs on Friday in front of a crowd that Andhra may have not witnessed till date.
Ruling out the possibility of Naxals shooting down the helicopter of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Union Minister M M Pallam Raju on Thursday said the mishap that claimed Reddy's life took place due to bad weather."The possibility of a Naxal strike on the chief minister's helicopter is ruled out completely. It was an accident due to bad weather. There is no hand of Naxalites," Minister of State for Defence Raju said.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday formally announced the death of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others in a helicopter crash.The wreckage was found by Air Force helicopters at 8.30 am on a hillock, which is 8 to 9 km from Atmakur, he said."The bodies are still lying on the hillock and all efforts are being made to retrieve them. I don't know how long the process will take," said Chidambaram.
The two pilots on board in the helicopter carrying Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, which went missing a hour after it took off from Hyderbad on Wednesday morning, were identified as Captain S K Bhatia and co-pilot M S Reddy, according to sources.
'Had there been an involvement by the Naxalites, we would have had some communication by now. Since there has been no communication, I can say that they may not be involved or behind this incident,' Union Home Secretary G K Pillai tells rediff.com
Those in the Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress who can't see the full picture that is emerging expect the sky to fall on their head any moment now.
As the state observes the death anniversary of YSR (as he is popularly called) on Thursday, the road ahead for the Congress appears to be bumpy.
On the eve of first death anniversary of his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, defiant Congress MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy appeared all set to go ahead with his controversial yatra by saying it has brought him people's "love".
The Congress' move to checkmate rebel Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's yatra does not seem to have had the desired effect.
The chief minister had sanctioned Rs 50,000 to the girl for undergoing plastic surgery and reconstruction of her disfigured face.
Stepping up its attack on actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh today said the Praja Rajyam president is asking for a chance for his party out of lust for power.
"In politics, there is no such thing as a breaking point. On some issues, we may agree and on others we may come together. Only at the time of elections, the issue of coming together or otherwise will arise," he said.
Reliance Industries Ltd on Friday rejected as "false" and "malicious" a news report on some Telugu TV channels alleging it may have had a hand in the helicopter crash that killed former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
Even as the state's minority welfare minister Mohammed Ali Shabbir went to town admitting the lapse of the police for arresting and torturing 22 innocent youth in the aftermath of the blasts in Hyderabad last year and talked of paying Rs 30,000 each to rehabilitate them, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy has ruled out any compensation.
Breaking his silence on the Telangana issue, Kadapa Member of Parliament Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Tuesday said he stands for a united Andhra Pradesh and alleged that the Telugu Desam Party and its chief N Chandrababu Naidu were responsible for the current situation in the state.
The chief minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those killed in the bomb blast, and of Rs 20,000 for those injured
The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday said it would ask the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the sabotage angle in the death of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in a chopper crash in the wake of conspiracy theories surfacing over the incident.
The photo, downloaded from Internet and published in the Sunday edition of the paper, showed Jesus holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer can in the other. It evoked angry reaction from the Christian minority and the community members staged a protest demonstration and ransacked the offices of the newspaper at several places across the state.
India Cements Managing Director and Board of Cricket Council of India President N Srinivasan, an accused in the illegal assets case involving YSR Congress leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, on Friday appeared before a special court in Hyderabad, along with others chargesheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the high-profile case.
The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered a probe into the deadly Maoist attack in the AP-Orissa border, where at least 35 policemen are feared drowned.
"However, if the Lok Sabha elections are held early next year, assembly elections could be held simultaneously," Reddy told media persons, in the backdrop of intense speculations that the Lok Sabha elections could be advanced because of the possible break up of UPA-Left ties over Indo-US nuclear deal.
MSR had decided to quit the Ministry owning moral responsibility for the party's defeat at the hands of Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao.
He went on to score 9 more ODI centuries, his highest being 183 not out against Sri Lanka.
The former Maharashtra chief minister succeeds Surjit Singh Barnala.
Ruling Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam MLAs came to near blows inside the Andhra Pradesh assembly on Monday after Agriculture Minister Y S Vivekananda heckled two TDP MLAs as they held a placard that denigrated supporters of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
The Andhra Pradesh high court on Thursday dismissed a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the assets of former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu.
Police also pressed into service Jammers to avoid any untoward incident.
Security was tightened at the various facilities of Anil Ambani-owned Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group in Andhra Pradesh after mobs attacked the group's offices in five districts of the state on Thursday.
Many of her political opponents raised a hue and cry over the issue.
A Hyderabad metropolitan court granted bail to the editor of Telugu daily Andhra Jyothy, K Srinivas and two reporters, two days after they were arrested under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. They were released on bail on a surety of Rs 10,000 each.
Virat Kohli's fluent century and Suresh Raina's quickfire 71 led India to a convincing five-wicket victory over Australia in the second One-Day International, at the Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy stadium, in Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday. India cruised to 292 for five in 48.5 overs in reply to Australia's 289 for three, winning with seven deliveries to spare. The victory enabled the hosts maintain their unbeaten record at the venue.
Following the absence of the regular openers, Shikhar Dhawan is likely to be handed his international debut in Wednesday's second ODI between India and Australia at Visakhapatnam, says Harish Kotian.
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