Jagan yatra on, Rosaiah softens his stand

Hyderabad: The Congress appeared to have softened its approach towards late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday evening, a day before the party’s Kadapa MP looked all set to resume his ‘Odarpu Yatra’.

Congress MP Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy greeting supporters before the start of his Odarpu yatra near his residence in Hyderabad on Wednesday. PTI

Back-tracking from the tough stance he had taken in the morning, Chief Minister K Rosaiah released a letter to the media stating that the Congress never opposed Jaganmohan's 'Odarpu Yatra' but merely asked him to change its format.
In the morning, Rosaiah had said that Jaganmohan was going ahead with the yatra in defiance of the Congress high command's directive. He even said that since the high command was opposed to it he had advised several MLAs and Cabinet colleagues not to participate in Jaganmohan's tour as it would amount to indiscipline.

Congress MP Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy greeting supporters before the start of his Odarpu yatra near his residence in Hyderabad on Wednesday. PTI

"Whether or not to take part in the yatra is an individual choice but if any minister, MLA or MLC indeed takes part in the yatra, it will be a clear violation of the high command," Rosaiah told reporters here. He said some of his Cabinet colleagues, MLAs and MLCs, had approached him seeking his counsel on their participation in the yatra. "I told them clearly that they should not participate in the yatra as it did not have the Congress high command's approval... If anyone violates this and takes part in the yatra, the party will deal with them appropriately," he said.

However, the CM changed his tune in the evening. In a letter released to the media, he said, "The Congress has never opposed Jaganmohan's 'Odarpu Yatra'. Sonia Gandhi has made it clear to him that his 'odarpu yatra' shouldn't be like a 'danda yatra' (revolt or war) or 'jaitra yatra' (victory procession) with huge people gathering all over."

Congress MP Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy greeting his supporters before boarding a train for his Odarpu yatra at the Secunderabad railway station on Wednesday. PTI

"This is an indirect hint by the high command to Jagan only to change the format of his 'Odarpu Yatra.' There is no loss for either central Congress or state Congress with this 'yatra.' The late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had conducted this kind of 'Odarpu' in 2001-02 by uniting nearly 89 agricultural families (who lost their family heads in suicides) at one place and Sonia Gandhi distributed nearly Rs 22,000 to each family. Same can be even done by Jagan in his 'Odarpu' but not the one that Jagan is doing now," Rosaiah's letter said.

A huge cut-out of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Rajashekar Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash, being put up ahead of his birth anniversary, in Hyderabad on Wednesday. PTI

On April 27, 2002, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who was the Opposition leader at that time, had invited the families of 89 farmers who committed suicide allegedly due to crop failure in Anantapur and Kadapa districts.
YSR and other Congress leaders raised Rs 25 lakh through donations. This gathering of farmers' families was also named by YSR as 'Odarpu' and the meeting was organised in Anantapur town. On YSR's insistence, Sonia Gandhi had flown down and distributed the money to the bereaved families.