Congress, Jagan still at loggerheads over yatra

Congress leaders close to Kadapa MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy disagreed with the party high command's idea of consoling the kin of those who died after Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's death by assembling them at respective district headquarters. "I don't think it is proper to ask the family members of those who died after Rajasekhara Reddy's death to assemble at the district headquarters to offer them financial assistance. True consoling would be by going to their homes,"Jagan's uncle and MLC Y S Vivekananda Reddy said.

Union Minister D Puradeswari said on Thursday that the Congress high command had suggested to Jagan to assemble all those to be consoled at each district headquarters and offer them financial assistance.

A statue of Rajasekhara Reddy can be installed at the district headquarters when the people are assembled, she said. State Mines Minister B Srinivasa Reddy, a close relative of Jagan, also said it is not proper to assemble those to be consoled at one place. "People are voluntarily coming forward to instal the statues of Rajasekhara Reddy. So, I don't think it is correct to instal statue at the district headquarters," he said.

Srinivasa Reddy has made it clear to Chief Minister K Rosaiah that he would take part in Jagan's consolation yatra when the latter called him up to convey the high command is against leaders participating in the tour.

The third phase of Jagan's yatra is slated to begin in Prakasam district next month. Several MLAs from Prakasam district met Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel in Delhi on Wednesday and they were told not to join Jagan's tour.

The 38-year-old MP had announced his plan to undertake the third phase of his yatra in Prakasam district from September 3, a day after the first death anniversary of Rajasekhara Reddy. Jagan has undertaken his controversial 'odarpu yatra', to console the family members of those who died unable to digest the death of his father, in two phases so far.