Jagan leaves for Delhi to undertake fast

HYDERABAD - Former MP Y.S.Jaganmohan Reddy Sunday left for New Delhi along with 1,500 supporters to undertake a one-day fast there Jan 11 to highlight the woes of Andhra Pradesh farmers and the alleged injustice done to the state by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal.

The son of late chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and his supporters left by a special train from Secunderabad railway station. They will reach the national capital Monday night.

Jagan, as the young leader is popularly known, is accompanied by eight legislators of the ruling Congress party. His camp is hopeful that more legislators would join him in Delhi. Several Congress leaders from various districts, farmers and supporters of Jagan are also accompanying him.

Former ministers and legislators B. Srinivas Reddy, P. Subhash Chandra Bose and Konda Surekha are among the key leaders with him.

Two MPs, M. Rajmohan Reddy and Sabbam Hari, are also likely to join Jagan in his fast.

During the last couple of days, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy tried to dissuade party legislators from joining Jagan’s fast.

Nearly two dozen legislators had shared the dais with Jagan when he undertook a 48-hour fast at Vijayawada last month, demanding compensation for farmers who lost their crops in the recent rains.

This development had sent ripples in the Congress party, which has only 156 members in 294-member assembly.

After the massive show of strength in Vijayawada, Jagan is all set for a similar show in New Delhi.

Jagan resigned from the Congress and his Kadapa parliamentary seat after accusing the party leadership of trying to divide the family by luring his uncle Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy with a ministerial berth in the Andhra Pradesh cabinet.

Jagan, who was sulking after the Congress leadership rejected his claim to the chief ministership following the death of his father in a helicopter crash on Sep 2, 2009, last week moved the Election Commission for registering his political party.