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Jaganmohan Reddy, whose supporters are campaigning for making him the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday broke his silence on the succession issue saying it should be left to the high command for a decision.
In a veiled reference to his supporters' demand, 36-year-old Jagan said party chief Sonia Gandhi respects public perception and feelings of lakhs of Congress Party workers and will take a decision in such a way that his father Rajasekhara Reddy's ideals, mission and zeal would not be compromised.
"Our high command knows and more particularly our beloved leader Sonia Gandhi respects the public perception and feelings of lakhs of Congress Party workers and she knows too well what is good for all of us and what is good for our state and people," Jagan, who arrived here today from Idupulapaya, two days after last rites for his late father, said in a four-page message to party leaders and workers.
"I request you to wait the decision of Ms Sonia Gandhi, President, AICC on the issue of leadership and also urge you to abide the decision".
Gandhi will take a decision in such a way that Rajasekhara Reddy's "ideals, mission and zeal would not be compromised in any manner", he said.
The first-time MP from Kadapa recalled "the outstanding love and affection" shown by Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia for his father.
Jagan said he was particularly grateful to Sonia Gandhi "for her immense support and help to my father at all crucial times. She stood like a rock behind my father and supported him wholeheartedly throughout his career."
Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, Kadapa MP and son of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, expressed hope that AICC president Sonia Gandhi will do justice and will honour the sentimetns of the people in deciding the next Chief Minister. In a way, he indirectly brought pressure on her to make him the CM.
Here is the text of open letter written by Jagan to the party workers:
My mother Smt. Vijayalakshmi, my sister Smt. Sharmila and our other family members join me in conveying our deepest sense of gratitude to millions of people who have shared our sorrow and grief in this hour of greatest tragedy in the passing away of my illustrious father, Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. We are really moved by the extraordinary affection and love shown by all of you, but for which it would have been even more difficult for us to cope with this painful situation.
We are greatly pained to see hundreds of people losing their lives unable to bear the untimely demise of their most beloved leader. We can understand your feelings as we ourselves are in the same situation. But the best way of paying your tribute for the departed soul is by carrying on his mantle and by making sure that all his programmes and ideologies are carried on and completed.
He always used to say that his dream was to wipe every tear from every eye. He sincerely tried to do his best in the accomplishment of this most difficult task. We all have a responsibility, as true followers of his legacy, to work towards fulfilling his unfulfilled dream. We cannot afford to lose our heart and become panicky. We have to somehow summon courage and maintain calm and composure and pay our silent and respectful homage to him. On behalf of my family, I request you with folded hands, to desist from the extreme actions of committing suicides. Your life is extremely important to us. It is but for all of you and your love and affection, your sympathy and admiration, my father would not have been what he was.
I would like to personally thank Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji, Dr. Manmohan Singh ji, Sri Rahul Gandhi ji, the Governor of AP, Chief Ministers of various states, Union Cabinet Ministers and thousands of other senior leaders of all political parties that have come to Hyderabad and Idupulapaya to pay homage to my father and to console us.
As I and our other family members are grieving for the greatest loss in our life, we cannot but help in recalling the outstanding love and affection shown by Late Smt. Indira Gandhi, Late Sri Rajiv Gandhi and Smt. Sonia Gandhi for my father, but for whose unstinted support at every part of his career, it would not have been possible for my father to scale the heights he has reached. It is really a tribute to Late Sri Rajiv Gandhi that he could spot talent in my father and it was late Smt. Indira Gandhi, who appointed him at the age of 33 year as the President of APCC. It is equally important to note that Smt Sonia Gandhi ji had chosen my father as President of APCC in 1998, as Leader of Opposition in 1999, as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in 2004 and 2009. We are particularly grateful to Smt. Sonia Gandhi for her immense support and help to my father at all crucial times. She stood like a rock behind my father and supported him wholeheartedly throughout his career.
It should be said to the credit of my father that he too carried on the legacy of Smt. Indira Gandhi and Sri Rajiv Gandhi in full measure and made it no secret that his greatest source on inspiration for all developmental and welfare programmes was late Smt. Indira Gandhi.
It is providential that my father also laid down his life in the call of the duty, on his way to inaugurate yet another programme for the benefit of the common man, in the true legacy of his benefactors.
During the last meeting of the Party held at Gandhi Bhavan on 27th August 2009, my father clearly mentioned that his main task and dream is to make the Congress Party to form the government on its own in 2014 general elections and to make Sri Rahul Gandhi ji as the Prime Minister of the country.
We are also grateful to lakhs of Congress leaders and the cadre in our State for whom my father had the greatest affection. But for your support, it would not have been possible for my father to rebuild the Congress Party in the State and to win many a battle including those two general elections. I can understand your feelings and emotions for your leader. Some of you have worked very closely with him and helped him in implementing the largest number of welfare programmes to benefit every citizen in the State. I know that you are all passionately attached to him and want to carry his mantle and fulfill his unfulfilled dreams. I am grateful to all of you for these good feelings.
It came to my notice that some of the Party Leaders and workers were rushing to the media and suggesting their choices for the successor of my father. I request every one with folded hands to stop such activities by going to the media, signature campaigns, using of banners, placards demonstrations etc., for my leadership as the successor of our beloved departed leader as this is not the time or the occasion. On my part, like my father, I am duty bound to be a loyal and disciplined Congress worker. We are in mourning with deep heart. As a disciplined soldier of the Congress Party it gives pain to the soul of our beloved leader.
We are all members of a big Congress family, which has a long history and tradition of 125 years. It is our good fortune to be members of this great family that has not only brought freedom for our country but also institutionalized democracy in our country.
Every Congress Worker knows that it is the tradition of our Party to leave the decision of leadership to the high command and our beloved leader Smt Sonia Gandhi ji.
Our high command knows and more particularly our beloved leader Smt. Sonia Gandhi respects the public perception and feelings of lakhs of Congress Party workers and she knows too well what is good for all of us and what is good for our state and people. I request you to await the decision of Smt Sonia Gandhi, President, AICC on the issue of leadership and also urge you to abide the decision.
Our beloved leader and President of AICC, Smt Sonia Gandhi ji will take a decision in such a way that Dr Rajasekhara Reddy’s ideals, mission and zeal would not be compromised in any manner.
I humbly appeal to you to be strong and courageous; I am with you in these trying times, just as you are with me.
(Y S JAGAN MOHAN REDDY),
Kadapa MP
The re-swearing-in ceremony of Rosaiah Cabinet would have become controversial but for the timely intervention of the high command and of course, K V P Ramachandra Rao, advisor to late CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
In the morning, a few ministers expressed their reluctance to be sworn in, as they wanted Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy to be declared the Chief Minister. “I don’t feel like being a minister without YSR. I wish Jagan takes over as the Chief Minister,” minister D K Aruna said. Others like Jupalli Krishna Rao, Konda Surekha, Ahmedulla and P Ramachandra Reddy also expressed similar opinion. This led to speculations that some of them might abstain from swearing-in.
However, the situation changed by evening. The Congress high command sent a message to all the ministers through late Rajasekhara Reddy’s advisor K V P Ramachandra Rao that they should take oath. Minutes before the swearing in ceremony, KVP held a meeting of all the ministers at his residence and told them that abstaining would send wrong signals to the party cadres and that it amounted to defying the party directive.
AP Congress is spoiling the situation by making noise with regard to YS Jagan. They are going over emotional and losing the balance. On a whole they are disturbing the idea of seeing Jagan as CM. They have made noise when DS was speaking in Santapa Sabha of YSR. They are making huge commotion by carrying the banners and photo cards of YS Jagan shouting ‘Jagan CM…Jagan CM’. This would certainly disturb the whole situation. Even High Command wouldn’t surrender for such force. Things should be kept in right place by Congress members. If they are so desirous of Jagan, why can’t they meet and elect him as CLP leader. They are with in their right to do so. Why they are not doing? That is because, they belong to a national party, and it has a high command. Any national party, worth the salt will not yield to emotional blackmail, however virtue of the cause may be. One is at loss to understand why these congress people ignore this simple logic.
Whenever Dr. YSR tried to influence the high command through his followers, he failed. Then he turned to the people and created a situation where the high command has no option except selecting him as CLP leader.
Even for Jagan, that is the only route. He should earn that right via people and not followers of his father. He should consolidate his base among people as Mr.Jagan and not as YSR's son. It is sure, Jagan will not be chosen to the CM's chair if the chorus for him continues. Hope better wisdom will prevail on his sycophantic followers.
Then the High Command may think in these lines and come out with 3 options.
“Jagan is very young and he needs some direct experience before enthroning CM chair. Making him CM is very easy. We too like to do that. But he may face trouble in 2014 election if he shows his inexperience in these few years. We can think of three options:
Making Jagan the Deputy CM and continuing Rosiah as CM till 2014 elections to make things run smooth
Giving a powerful position for Jagan in Central Ministry and making YSR’s brother Vinekananada Reddy as Minister in AP
Making Jagan the PCC President to run the show with Rosiah as CM in front end
Members may see any of the above three options before them. Even though they quote Rajiv Gandhi’s name, the answer is negative. Rajiv Gandhi became PM as soon as the death of Indira Gandhi. But he failed in subsequent elections.
Y S Rajasekhar Reddy’s life span lasted exactly for sixty years and like a true age of a retired person, he bid farewell to this world. But then, come to think of it, this dynamic leader has lived his life like a king just for about 9% of his life.
The mathematics shows that YS was the Chief Minister for the last 5.4 years which goes to show his best times. Before that his life was filled with Pada Yatras and struggles as an opposition leader. YS toiled hard to be where he is today and it was just five plus years back that he actually began to enjoy the fruits of it.
Known as a ‘Srama Jeevi’ who has given his life for the betterment of people, YSR has made a mark for himself in the hearts of others and though fate has not given him the due fruits of his hard work, he left a strong impact in the lives of others with his acts and deeds.
Even as he battles the agony of losing his father so unfortunately and so untimely, young Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy perhaps is also battling another tragedy – that of the heartbroken AP’s deaths triggered by YSR’s sad demise.
All that he could perhaps has on his lips is a prayer “please don’t die” because he knows how much his father loved the very same people and gave up his life in their service.
That is one facet to the phenomenon of YSR that the junior has to contend with. It is also the aspect that the Congress party could be considering in the days to come even as the battle for succession rages. The party could be weighing this factor far more than any.
There is a link between these deaths and how YSR made AP a bastion for the Congress party at the Centre.
The chopper crash has claimed not just five lives including that of YSR, but also that of 343 persons so far in the State. Majority of these are due to heart attacks. The rest were consumed by their passionate love for YSR who reached out to them in the last five years like none others had done.
There is no geographical disparity too to these tragedies that are striking individual households. Cutting across regions, people are following YSR in his death too just as they had done, in his life.
What could be the reason?
Populist schemes and programmes may fetch one votes as one has seen in several states. But not such love. A careful analysis of the deaths brings to our notice one fact that most of these are poor people whose very life was transformed by YSR. The late Chief Minister not only introduced several schemes but every one realize that those are not mere schemes, but his way of thanksgiving to the masses who brought him to power after a very long political career.
Free power or Rs.2 a kg rice scheme could help you one time in retaining power, but certainly not endear one to the masses so much as YSR did. Only some one like him who could constantly think of people’s welfare could achieve this. If rice scheme and free power helped YSR’s vote bank, what made him a god of the masses is his Arogyasri, pensions to the aged, 108 and 104, housing programme and scholarships.
These programmes enveloped entire state and had no political imbalances. The poor and the deprived sections saw not just a benefit in them but a new lease of life. Just earning two meals a day is not what they wanted, but dignity to their lives. They wanted some one to take care of their all needs. And YSR did exactly that. The aged and the infirm in the villages got restored of their confidence that even if their children neglect them, they could survive. The young widows could stave off the wolf from the door with the widow pensions that YSR delivered. Arogyasri was a rare phenomenon that revolutionised the concept of health care and brought five star treatment facilities to the doorsteps of people. Serious ailments like congenital disorders that could snatch away dear family members were kicked out of the households. Diseases like cancer were no more threats to the lives.
Persons did not hesitate to knock the doors of corporate hospitals. They clutched their white ration cards, got wheeled into the hospitals with ailments and walked out smiling. Then there was the letter from YSR, perhaps a fifth or sixth one, inquiring into their well being and blessing one and all. The smile on the face of YSR was in fact what the smiling poor donated to him. And he wore it in style.
People poured out their grief in front of him and he consoled them patting their backs or touching their heads. The confidence got restored. The self-dignity that YSR restored in the masses was something that made him a messiah of the masses. In him they saw, an elderly son, a brother, an uncle and a father, but not just a Chief Minister.
If today the same spontaneous outpour of grief is slowly turning into a demand for continuing the YSR legacy, it is not strange. The masses are seeking is continuation of the same programmes and schemes that changed their lives and restored their right to decent life and dignity. They are also seeking the same caring and loving attitude that went along with those till the other day.
It is this legacy that they are thirsting for. Because, they are not sure that power hungry politicians could continue delivering the same, they are raising this slogan and pressurizing their MLAs and MPs to bow to their wishes. Caught in the whirlpool of emotional yet rational pressure is the Congress public representative. What are they going to do, is a million dollar question ahead of them now. If they don’t yield to the people’s wish, they find it difficult in going back to their constituencies. If they seek the same from the high command, it could give one an impression that they are trying to blackmail in favour of someone.
It would be interesting to watch the moves of the Congress high command now. The people are waiting with bated breath. Many with their breath halted already out of fear that along with their dear YSR, their hope too has vanished.
