Leaders brief Sonia on Jagan

The crisis in Andhra Pradesh Congress over Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s continued defiance of the high command’s directive on his controversial ‘odarpu yatra’ and its political fallout once again reached the doorsteps of party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The crisis in Andhra Pradesh Congress over Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s continued defiance of the high command’s directive on his controversial ‘odarpu yatra’ and its political fallout once again reached the doorsteps of party chief Sonia Gandhi.

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Andhra Pradesh Congress president D. Srinivas and party in-charge of the state Veerappa Moily on Monday briefed Gandhi on Jaganmohan’s fresh move in the wake of warning by the brass not to go ahead with the yatra, which had triggered violence in Warangal district of the Telangana region.

The yatra, Jaganmohan has maintained, is aimed at consoling the family members of those who either committed suicide or died of shock following the death of his father and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S.R. Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash last year.

But the party views the yatra as an attempt to mobilise support from both the party and public to destabilise the K. Rosaiah government.

Jaganmohan launched the third leg of his yatra in his native Kadapa district on Monday ahead of the main yatra in Prakasam district on September 3. He will address a public meeting at the temple town of Tirupati on September 2 to mark the first death anniversary of his father.

The Congress leadership had recently summoned to Delhi the Andhra Pradesh legislators, who are considered close to Jaganmohan, and categorically told not to join the yatra.

With the party taking a strong view on the matter, the Kadapa MP, it is learnt, might change the format of the yatra.