Cong Faction Feuds in AP Hit New Nadir, Trigger Concerns
Congress’ worries in Andhra Pradesh continued to burgeon on Wednesday as loyalists of the late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy hit back at Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao for terming as “bogus” the figure of 600 shock deaths that reportedly followed YSR’s tragic death in a chopper crash in August.
Casting aspersions over reports of the shock deaths that followed YSR’s demise, Hanumantha Rao on Tuesday described them as “bogus and a “publicity stunt”.
Miffed over the remarks several YSR loyalists, including ministers and legislators, on Wednesday challenged Rao to back his claims with evidence and maintained that party leaders – Hanumantha Rao, Keshava Rao and Renuka Chowdhary were damaging the party and hurting the sentiments of the people.
“I will quit politics if Hanumantha Rao can prove that the shock deaths are bogus,” said health minister D Nagender, a key figure in the faction pressing for the nomination of YSR’s son YS Jaganmohan Reddy as the chief minister.
Nagender claimed that many beneficiaries of welfare schemes launched by YSR either committed suicide or died of shock as they feared the schemes would be scrapped after his death andadded that the deaths had been confirmed by the district collectors.
He alleged that Hanumantha Rao’s comments were part of a larger political conspiracy launched to damage Jagan’s chances of being nominated chief minister.
“He can talk such things by sitting in Delhi. If he is really a senior leader, let him go among people. They will teach him a lesson,” said state women and child welfare minister K Surekha, who said she would resign if Jagan was not made the chief minister.
Hanumantha Rao alleged that Jagan’s supporters were trying to blackmail the party high command through exaggerated claims.
The war of words between Rao and the Reddy camp followers reached a crescendo during a television debate Tuesday night, when Rao said: “These are all bogus (claims) and a publicity stunt. They have included even routine deaths and suicides in their account.”
He was speaking after state agriculture minister and YSR loyalist N Raghuveera Reddy claimed that 600 people died of shock or committed suicide after hearing about YSR’s tragic demise.
“Was he (YSR) more popular than Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi?” questioned Rao.
With verbal guns blazing unabated, the focus now shifts to the party central command, which is likely to intervene sometime during the week and secure the matter, which, for now, seems to be threatening to tear one of its strongest southern units apart, right down the middle.
