Medical Education and Health Services Minister DL Ravindra Reddy was on Monday of the opinion that there was undue importance being given to YS Rajasekhara Reddy's son YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who he described as an individual and not a 'power' by himself.
Asked to predict the chances or performance of the Congress in Kadapa by-elections and then the influence the Kadapa rebel leader will wield, the Minister made light of Mr Jaganmohan Reddy and his Polavaram Yatra and concluded that it will be of no consequence.
The Minister also observed that they needed no big a plan to confront Mr Jaganmohan Reddy or his campaign in the ensuing by-election.
"He is just a person and he is not a ‘power’," replied the Minister.
Further Dr Ravindra Reddy expressed confidence that the Congress party will fare better than in the
previous elections held in Kadapa constituency. However, he took pains to say that and it (by-poll) is not a referendum either.
The Congress would have fared much better than expected if the elections were to be held simultaneously for all the Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in the Kadapa district, the Minister asserted.
Further asked about Mr Jaganmohan Reddy's Polavaram tour, the Minister ridiculed the stand taken by the former saying that he had no knowledge on Polavaram project.
Let him (Mr Jaganmohan Reddy ) spell out what is Polavaram, when the project was conceived and the Left and Right Bank canals proposed and other details connected to the project, Dr Ravindra Reddy challenged.
Without mincing words, the Minister agreed to give the Chief Minister's post to Mr Jaganmohan Reddy if he could list out the Polavaram details. However, he did not reveal how he was empowered to do so.
"What does he know?" Dr Ravindra Reddy questioned.
Except craving for power, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy had nothing on his agenda, the Minister charged. “Mr Jaganmohan Reddy made attempts to rope in the support of legislators at a time when preparations were in full swing for receiving his father's body in Pulivendula,” Dr Ravindra Reddy alleged.
“If not clamouring for power what else was that?”, he asked. The Minister spoke high of YSR and clarified that had he, YSR, taken up as a challenge the completion of Polavaram project it would have been completed today.
Dr N Tulasi Reddy, who spoke to media persons separately, expressed his confidence that his party will win the Kadapa seat hands down. “There is no doubt about it,” he asserted.
Mr Tulasi Reddy also listed out the Racha Banda success stories in all the districts.
At a separate meeting, Minister for Wakf and Minorities' Welfare Syed Ahmedullah refused to be drawn into commenting on the Kadapa bypoll and its outcome saying that so far the Election Commission has not issued the notification on the by-poll schedule and it was too early to comment.