Has the man who has been in the limelight since the past two years, more so in the recent past due to the alleged land scams, has managed to turn the tables against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy?
After the launch of the YSR Congress Party recently at Idupulapaya, Pulivendula in Kadapa district, with a party flag and symbol, its leader’s stature assumed bigger proportions with more teeth as evident from the recent MLC polls.
Almost 100 percent, in all respects even while calling the shots, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy is YSR’s alter ego. What the Kadapa leader had planned in the conclave at his Hyderabad residence had been achieved.
What transpired in the said ‘in camera’ meeting was not leaked. But those contacted, his loyalists, spelt out an inkling that they were asked to ‘vote as per your conscience’. In effect that was not the ‘diktat’ issued.
The MLC poll results threw light that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi was ditched by Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s aides. Its president, K Chandrasekhar rao rather stands isolated.
The rebel leader, reckoned in the Congress circles as a naïve soul though, lived up to his sentiments and ideology.
Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s loyalists whisper that his latest gambit successfully checkmated the self-styled and over-confident KCR. The TRS chief had high expectations in the backdrop of the heightened Telangana stir which with TNGOs’ non-cooperation almost rocked the Parliament.
Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s men apparently took dictation and precisely executed the ‘orders’ which upset KCR’s apple cart. The cross voting came a s a rude shock to TRS chief who was forced to huddle into an emergency meeting with his men for an on the spot evaluation - what went wrong and where and then to retrieve the situation to the extent possible.
Thus the TRS isolation has been to the credit of Rayalaseema rebel leader-politician.
The results have also given a shock to both the TDP and the Congress. They were playing a double game - Congress for the last 50 years and the TDP since Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s dramatic midnight announcement on Telangana issue in New Delhi on December 9, 2009.
Mr Jaganmohan Reddy has apparently had been maintaining considerable distance from the TRS and its groundswell. Sadly in the TSR camp, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s awaited aid which never materialised in MLC polls was considered as a last straw.
True to his soil, a scion of Rajareddy, the Kadapa leader played his trump card quite safe as of now hoodwinking the unsuspected TRS chief no matter what are the repercussions.
Sooner or later, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s camp shall be under pressure to dispel public doubts about his stand on the ‘bifurcation’ issue which had been hanging fire. It is inescapable. Like Congress and TDP he cannot afford to play a hide and seek game. How the Telanagna factor costs him later is under a close watch by his rivals.
Of course, in letter and spirit, Mr Jaganmohan Reddy had been treading in his father’s footsteps. YSR to the last minute elbowed out TSR despite his 2004 manifesto promised a separate Telangana. The latest mandate to the rebel MLAs accentuated his oneupmanship. But Mr Jaganmohan Reddy was misconstrued by the N Kiran Kumar Reddy-D Srinivas combine on cross-voting which dashed off hopes of all concerned.
MIM’s Altaf Hyder Rizvi was no favourite of Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s camp but he was chosen to subserve their own interests - that is to upset Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy and company. The rebels’ mission was to target the TRS and then the Chief Minister, who was perturbed at the way they accomplished their task with ease and as stipulated.
The Chief Minister was actually seen enquiring about it and later decided to initiate action against those involved in the cross voting. But the chances are quite remote in the given volatile situation.
It is understood that another set of rebels were seen operating in the house. Literally the Congress rebels were found wanting. All this is because of Mr Jaganmohan Reddy and his party and YSR’s schemes is to be seen as the state of affairs in the state and in the Congress is not worth mentioning.
The Chief Minister has enquired whether the rebels were fielding their own candidate for MLC seat. Mohammed Jani was also elected due to his proximity to YSR and not because of the Chief Minister’s influence.
On the whole the cross voting has demonstrated that Congress had more bad days ahead.
The standoff between Kiran Kumar Reddy-D Srinivas on one side and the rebels on another plank has turned out to extend another handle for the defiant Rayalaseema leader who is sure to exercise his own options again to his advantage.