Congress targets Jagan loyalists for anti-party activities

HYDERABAD - Congress MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy Tuesday received another blow with the leadership suspending a key loyalist and issuing show-cause notice to another for anti-party activities.

Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Congress suspended Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, secretary of the party’s state unit, and served show-cause notice on P. Pratap Reddy, president of the Tirupati unit of the party. He has been asked to reply to the notice within a week.

State Congress president D. Srinivas issued orders removing Sridhar Reddy as secretary and also suspending him from the party membership.

Sridhar Reddy is a staunch Jaganmohan Reddy loyalist. Jagan, as he is popularly known, has been continuing his “condolence yatra” in Prakasam district for nearly a month in defiance of the party leadership.

Congress sources said the action was taken against Sridhar Reddy as he had been demanding that Jagan be made the next chief minister. The senior leader from Nellore district had declared that he would participate in the Kadapa MP’s ‘yatra’ when it enters Nellore district.

Sridhar Reddy had said Saturday that just as none could stop the sunrise, no force can obstruct Jagan from becoming the chief minister. He also alleged that the parameters followed by the Congress high command in issuing notices to Jagan’s supporters were unjust.

Political analysts say the suspension of Sridhar Reddy and the notice served on Pratap Reddy are yet more warnings to Jagan loyalists that the leadership would not tolerate indiscipline.

Sridhar Reddy is the second key Jagan aide to be suspended by the leadership. In July, the central leadership had suspended the party’s state general secretary Ambati Rambabu for criticising Chief Minister K. Rosaiah.

Defying the leadership, Jagan, son of the late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has been touring the state to console the families of those who died of shock following the death of his father in a helicopter crash last year.

Jagan had earlier hit out at the leadership for taking action against his loyalists. The leadership, however, has still not acted against him.

The young MP was keen to become the chief minister after his father’s death but the central leadership backed Rosaiah.