Cong delays action,Jagan refuses to budge

Highly-placed Congress sources said there was no immediate move to take any disciplinary action against Jaganmohan,notwithstanding his attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

“As of today,Jaganmohan’s matter has not been referred to the party’s disciplinary committee,” a senior Congress leader said. He said “any more provocation” would force the high command’s hands,noting that “not many can survive in the Congress after attacking the Nehru-Gandhi family”.

While a split was imminent with Jaganmohan not ready to settle for anything less than Chief Ministership and the party determined not to oblige,both camps were biding their time as they weighed their options. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy,meanwhile,said new ministers will be sworn in on Wednesday and his Cabinet will have a “balanced” representation from all religions,castes and regions.

The CM said he had asked all advisors to the state government to resign. This includes Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao,a close friend of the late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

According to the Jaganmohan camp,although he was “convinced of his mass support”,he was no longer confident of getting the support of party legislators to bring down the state government. “There are no elections scheduled in the immediate future. If his rivals in the Congress stop needling him and targeting his people,Jagan may prefer a status quo at this point of time,” a close aide of Kadapa MP said.

The aide said the “high command has to ensure there is no witch-hunting against him,like income tax raids against his business associates,cancellation of their mining licences and suspension and expulsion of party office-bearers who support Jaganmohan”.

The Congress also did want to precipitate any crisis at this juncture and was watching Jaganmohan’s moves.

The Congress would like the new Chief Minister to settle down and reclaim YSR’s political legacy by aggressively propagating and implementing the welfare schemes launched by him. As per the party’s assessment,any move by the party to act against Jaganmohan at this stage could make him a ‘martyr’.

In Hyderabad,Jaganmohan went into a huddle with advisors at his Sagar Society residence,refusing to meet even his loyalists. Loyal MLAs from Kadapa and East Godavari districts waited in the lobby of his residence but did not get an audience.

The Congress’ strategy of luring his uncle Vivekananda Reddy and the CM’s decision to replace Ramachandra Rao as advisor has angered Jaganmohan,who feels the party is not only trying to create a rift in the family but also marginalising it. “There is a feeling the Congress is trying to create or project a rift in YSR’s family. Vivekananda’s statements that he would try for a reconciliation between the high command and Jaganmohan,and make him apologise has hurt him very much,” a source said.

According to sources,Jaganmohan has also adopted a wait-and-watch policy,preferring not to push matters further. He will evaluate the strength of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar after the formation of the Cabinet and wait for the Telangana verdict before taking any step.