Jagan defies Sonia, to go ahead with yatra

In a virtual revolt against the Congress high command, the party Member of Parliament from Kadapa YS Jaganmohan Reddy has announced his decision to go ahead with his Odarpu Yatra or condolence tour of the state from July 8, coinciding with his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy's birth anniversary.
 
His announcement came in the form of an open letter addressed to the people of Andhra Pradesh. Jagan, who has been haggling with the party's central leadership over his controversial yatra, admitted in his letter that party president Sonia Gandhi was in no mood to grant him the permission to go ahead with the tour but he has no choice, to keep his word given to the people.
 
Jaganmohan Reddy's open letter came just three days before he is scheduled to resume his Yatra from Pithapuram in Srikakulam district. Originally he was scheduled to start the tour from June 8 and then from June 16 but he postponed it for a month after the party's central leadership made its opposition to the program known to Jagan.
 
Jaganmohan Reddy recalled that after his father's death in a helicopter crash in September last, hundreds of people had died of shock or committed suicide and he had promised that he will visit all district to condole such families.
 
Jagan said that he along with his mother Vijayalakshmi and sister Nirmala met the Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and explained that he had given a commitment to the bereaved families. "Despite that she did not appear in favour of my going ahead with Odarpu Yatra", Jagan said in his open letter.
 
He revealed that instead of the tour, Sonia suggested to him that he should call all such affected families at one place and give them financial assistance.

"But my mother replied to her that it will not be in accordance with good tradition. After my husband's death, you came from Delhi to console us. You did not call us to Delhi to condole us."
 
Moreover, Jagan said that he was not looking at Odarpu Yatra as a mean to extend financial assistance to the bereaved families but to give them the solace by talking to them. He also stressed that the tour was neither political in nature nor he wanted any publicity out of it.
 
"I am not able why so much politics is being done and controversy is being created on Odarpur Yatra which I want to under take on humanitarian grounds", he wondered.
 
Jagan said that he was writing the open letter to the people to put an end to all the uncertainties about Odarpu Yatra. "Odarpur Yatra will start from the birth anniversary of my father", he stressed.
 
"As a son I will discharge my duty and I will see to it that my father's soul rests in peace", he said.
 
Earlier in the day, YS Jagan left for Kadapa where he will pay respect to his father at his Samadhi at Idupulapaya, before leaving for Srikakulam.