Jaganmohan Reddy hits out at Cong high command

Belligerent Kadapa MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's television channel launched a frontal attack on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi as well as the party, days after he claimed to be "running out of patience".

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also targeted along with the "coterie around Sonia" for the "sorry state of affairs in the Congress." Though Jagan himself has not said anything directly against Sonia, Manmohan Singh or Congress, Sakshi television news channel owned by him ran an hour-long special programme last night and this morning targeting Gandhi's leadership and "rapid degeneration" of the party under her.

Ever since Jagan was denied the chief minister's post after his father Y S Rajashekara Reddy's death, Sakshi newspaper and television channel have been running stories severely criticising Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah and his government's policies. Jagan's rival groups in the party too have been subjected to attacks in his media but this is for the first time that Sakshi chose to take on the Congress high command directly.

Political observers in Hyderabad see Sakshi's story as a prelude to Jagan's ambitious future political plans. "That he has chosen to target the party

high command in general and Sonia Gandhi in particular through his television channel is an obvious indication that Jagan is preparing ground for his exit from Congress," one political observer said.

"Sonia is neither the president of India nor the prime minister but she is dictating the politics of the country," screamed a headline even as several critical remarks were made against her in the voice-over in the Telugu news channel. "He has been just a rubber stamp," Sakshi remarked, taking potshots at Manmohan Singh in the light of the recent observations of Supreme Court in the 2G spectrum case. The snide remarks against their leaders have left many a Congress leader in the state seething.

Known Sonia loyalist and Jagan-baiter, V Hanumantha Rao, was the first to spit fire against his young parliamentary colleague for trying to pour scorn on a "great leader" like Sonia. "This is an unpardonable mistake that Jagan has committed. The time has come to expose him," Hanumantha Rao, a member of Rajya Sabha, said and appealed to Congress workers to boycott Sakshi newspaper and television channel run by the Kadapa MP.

The special story was telecast to mark the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Congress party.