YSR dilemma for Congress
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and the ruling Congress seem to be in two minds about observing the birth anniversary of former chief minister YSR on July 8. While YSR’s birth anniversary had been observed with pomp by the government as well as the party in the last two years, it is doubtful whether the same will be continued this time particularly in the wake of the Congress’ rout in the recent bypolls.
The YSR Congress, on the other hand, is planning symbolic events in all constituencies on July 8 to highlight YSR’s focus and contribution to the farm sector. In 2010, on YSR’s first birth anniversary after his death, party chief and YSR’s son and Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had resumed the controversial Odarpu yatra. Last year, he had conducted the YSR Congress’ first plenary session on this day.
State Congress leaders feel that though YSR is still alive in the hearts of a large section of the electorate, it is the YSR Congress which has reaped political benefits from the “YSR charisma” among the masses.
“We are also increasingly under pressure from anti-YSR groups in the Congress not only to disown YSR but also to portray him in poor light in terms of corruption and irregularities,” a senior minister pointed out.
sources told this newspaper that there had been no word from the cm about observing the birth anniv-ersary as a state function. Similar was the case with Gandhi Bhavan and Cong-ress Legislature Party.
State information and public relations departm-ent had conducted an all-party meeting in Ravindra Bharati in 2010 in which the participants, including former chief minister K. Rosaiah and Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy, who was the Speaker, had heaped praises on YSR. Mr Rosaiah had gone out of his way to make a special mention in the Assembly, which was in session, about YSR’s contribution despite protests from the Telugu Desam against the “new practice”.
Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy had gotten YSR’s portrait, again in deviation of norms, installed in the Assembly. Last year, Mr Kiran Kumar Reddy as CM had paid floral tributes to YSR’s photo at his camp office giving an official tag to the event. He had also garlanded YSR’s statue at Panjagutta and attended a programme in Gandhi Bhavan.
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