Jagan decided to quit the day mother wept,Sonia watched

“So what?” Sonia is said to have snapped as Vijayalakshmi pleaded that Jagan had promised to visit the families of those who had died after hearing news of YSR’s death. The incident reportedly took place on June 29.

When asked for a confirmation of the story,Ambati Rambabu,a close associate of Jagan,told The Indian Express: “Jaganmohan Reddy,his mother and sister had gone to New Delhi to meet Sonia Gandhi to request her not to stop his Odarpu Yatra. When the Congress president rejected her repeated pleas to allow her son to go ahead,she (Vijayalakshmi) started weeping. But it had no effect on Sonia who said that he (Jagan) should either call all bereaved families to Hyderabad or to the district headquarters.”

According to the Jagan camp,the rebel MP was “very moved and upset” to see his mother shed tears in vain. “The family’s ties with the party high command snapped on that day. After that,it was only a matter of time before Jagan would formally break ties with the party,” said an aide.

In his letter to Sonia announcing his and his mother’s resignations,Jagan said,“My mother Vijayalakshmi addressed a letter to you seeking your appointment to explain the necessity of Odarpu Yatra. We could get your appointment only a month later whereas some new friends who had opposed the Congress party and yourself could get your audience within 24 hours. Is it not discrimination against the family?”

He did not refer to what had transpired at that meeting.

The Congress described the claims of Jagan’s aides as “feverish imagination”.

“It is not our remit to respond to feverish imagination. All that we would like to say is that history has time and again shown that the party is above an individual. Various leaders who left the Congress at different points of time came back knocking on the door of the Congress party with an application in hand,” party spokesman Manish Tewari said.

Union minister and AICC in-charge of Andhra Pradesh,M Veerappa Moily,said,“It is very unfortunate. Highest respect was given by the party to the family of YSR after his death. In the last one year Jagan went against the party but we tolerated his anti-party activities. No one is above the party. There is no justification for the step that he has taken now.”

Asked if the party would make an attempt to bring him back,Moily said,“We have not decided anything so far but the Congress is not responsible for his deeds.”