With the Congress high command apparently relenting, Kadapa MP and son of former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Thursday resumed his 'Odarpu Yatra' from Itchapuram in Srikakulam district in north coastal Andhra but treaded cautiously not to ruffle the leadership.
Jagan, who reached Itchapuram on the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa border by Falaknuma Express this morning, unveiled the statue of his late father at the local bus station centre coinciding with his 61st birth anniversary as scores of people gathered there to pay homage to the leader.
It is to console the families whose kin died either due to shock or committed suicide in the aftermath of YSR's death in a helicopter crash on September 2 last year that Jagan embarked on the so-called Odarpu Yatra.
He first visited the family members of Pyla Chandramma and consoled them. Chandramma reportedly died of shock following YSR's death. "I will always be with you," the 37-year-old MP assured Chandramma's family.
"My father did not leave us alone, he has left behind a huge family in the form of you all. I am seeing my father in the love and affection you have been showering on me," he said at several impromptu public meetings as he travelled from one village to another unveiling the statues of his father.
Though the Congress high command appeared to have disapproved the pompous mode of his yatra which his detractors have dubbed as a 'televised political game show' it did not deter scores of party workers and common people from pouring onto the streets to greet Jagan. The conflicting statements made by Chief Minister K Rosaiah yesterday on the yatra came as a blessing in disguise for Jagan.
Rosaiah said, late last night in New Delhi, that the high command "never objected" to the programme. This bolstered the Jagan's camp resolve to go ahead with the yatra.
The chief minister, who appeared to be on the defensive on Jagan's yatra issue after the party high command reportedly expressed its displeasure over his handling of the issue, today said that he would not be sending any report to the party high command on the 'Odarpu yatra'. "As chief minister, I have nothing to do with it. The party will take stock of the yatra. But the government will take care of the security aspects to maintain law and order," Rosaiah said.
Also, for the first time, Rosaiah came under direct attack from the Jagan camp for "trying to block the yatra". Former MLA Ambati Rambabu, one of the close aides of Jagan, lashed out the Chief Minister on the issue and questioned whether Rosaiah had the high command's permission for celebrating his 78th birthday last week.
Jagan had undertaken the Odarpu Yatra covering West Godavari and Khammam districts in April but had to abandon a similar tour in Warangal district in the last week of May following violence that broke out while he was proceeding to Mahbubabad. Following this, the party high command directed Jagan to give up his yatra plans.
The MP, however, met AICC president Sonia Gandhi a few days ago along with his mother Vijayalakshmi to seek permission for the yatra which he said was "purely personal".
Jagan himself revealed in an open letter three days ago that Sonia Gandhi did not appear favourably inclined to his tour and instead asked him to assemble all the bereaved families at one place and help them out. The first-time MP, however, went ahead with his plans and resumed the yatra in Srikakulam district coinciding with the birth anniversary of his father.
At his next hop in Kaviti mandal, Jagan consoled the family of Reddy Appanna, who too died of shock, and assured his family that he would support them by all means. The MP cleansed YSR's statue in the village with milk and offered floral tributes. He also statues at Loddaputti, Kottaputtuga, Siligam, Kaviti and Mangalavarapusanta villages.
Jagan reached Kesarapadu village under Kattili mandal and consoled the family of Pilaka Ganapati. A huge convoy of cars followed Jagan's SUV. His movement was telecast live on some Telugu satellite news channels. Interestingly, Jagan's own Sakshi TV channel went off air since morning, reportedly due to a technical problem. Jagan's camp claimed that the second leg of the yatra was a "stupendous success" and the leader will continue it in the same district tomorrow, after an overnight stay in Tekkali.
The Congress high command had reportedly taken exception to the invoking of its name at every instance and made it clear to Rosaiah that such things were to be "handled at your level only". Apparently peeved at the allegations levelled by Jagan camp, the chief minister pulled up his ministers.
"Why could you people not effectively rebut the allegations made by someone like Rambabu," he said at a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party to pay homage to YSR on his 61st birth anniversary today.
About 20 office-bearers of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee faxed a letter to AICC general secretary M Veerappa Moily seeking disciplinary action against Rambabu for criticising the Chief Minister. Rosaiah told reporters at the end of the Assembly proceedings today that there was no change in the party high command's thinking on the Kadapa MP s tour.
"The party will not have one stand in the morning and a different one in the evening, yesterday or today," he said, adding that the high command would take stock of the manner in which Jagan was conducting his so-called Odarpu Yatra in Srikakulam district. PTI
