Congress wakes up to politics behind Jagan's yatra

The Congress party is upset with Jaganmohan Reddy's Odarpu Yatra and the axe is likely to fall soon. This fact came to light when a member of Parliament from Andhra Pradesh wrote to party president Sonia Gandhi about the structure of Reddy's proposed Odarpu Yatra (condolence tour) and the politics behind it.

The two-page note was an eye-opener for the congress chief. Reddy is cautiously and steadily moving towards a major political reshuffle in Andhra, and the Odarpu Yatra is a well-oiled plan of political initiative. As part of the yatra, Reddy will visit the families of those who committed suicide when his father, former chief minister YSR Reddy, died. Jaganmohan plans to offer a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the "martyrs'" -- those who committed suicide in the aftermath of Reddy's death -- families.

Jagan's understanding of caste politics is clearly visible. In Rajahmundry, a local ayurvedic doctor' family was denied compensation as the doctor was a Brahmin and not a Reddy or an OBC. The doctor's family was also unable to produce the proof that Jagan desired. 
 
Reddy has a committee to vet the recipients of

the compensation. The local MLA has to substantiate the claim with a newspaper clipping. At least three newspapers should have reported the immolation incident, mentioning the deceased's name. A photo of the deceased and an affidavit from the family are also required. Reddy also wants the divisional revenue officer to counter-sign the letter from the family.

The Congress chief has met Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief D Srinivas in this regard, and now she is keen to hear from Reddy his version of events before taking a decision.

Andhra Pradesh governor ESL Narasimhan will visit New Delhi on Thursday to meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and may meet Sonia Gandhi on Friday. Narasimhan has been summoned to New Delhi as the PM wants to understand the ground reality about the Telangana issue and come up with a plan to tackle Reddy's perceived belligerence.

Speculation is rife in Delhi that the Congress is keen to take a decision on this, but before that the high command wants to gauge the situation on the ground. Chief Minister K Rosaiah could fly to New Delhi on Sunday to meet Sonia Gandhi to provide inputs on the issue.