Hyderabad:
After lying low for the past few months, Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the late YSR Reddy, is back to being a major pressure-point for the Congress.
Jagan is on a tour of Andhra. He is scheduled to tour ten assembly constituencies and visit as many as 48 families which have lost one of their family members after YSR died in a chopper crash in September last. Some of them committed suicide while some died due to heart failure after they come know the news of YSR's death.But the real agenda is a massive show of strength.
After his father died, the Congress chose to appoint K Rosaiah, then the Finance Minister, to take over as Chief Minister. Jagan's supporters were not happy. In Delhi, Congress sources revealed that the party was worried that Jagan didn't have the experience to handle the Congress' bitterly divided camps in Andhra.
Jagan backed off, reportedly turning down a compromise that would give him a role at the Centre.
Now, the party's central command allegedly permitted him to embark on his journey on the condition that it would be limited to courtesy calls to the families who adopted his tragedy as their own.
"Our beloved leader YSR can be seen in every smile of you all. I will also be part of that smile. I will be one of your family members," Jagan says at one such home.
But political analysts say Jagan's tour de force is aimed at showing the party's leaders in Delhi that his family's clout cannot be ignored. Simultaneously, he wants to remind those he visits that there is an heir apparent who has not been given his due.
"YSR built a huge politico-economic empire in his five-year term. The beneficiaries of that empire would like to see Jagan as the chief minister. They have not given up the battle though Rosaiah for now is the chief minister," says political commentator K.Nageshwar.
On the ground, the bonding between voters and a politician is quietly unfolding. "We are feeling happy that Jagan has come to our home. It is like our brother coming back to us," says a man at a house visited by Jagan.
But making political connections will be tougher for Jagan. Sources say that his supporters, currently ministers in Rosaiah's cabinet, are wary of openly standing by him for fear of losing their jobs. For them, Jagan will have to offer a more powerful reminder of what he stands for, and what he can deliver.
Jagan is on a tour of Andhra. He is scheduled to tour ten assembly constituencies and visit as many as 48 families which have lost one of their family members after YSR died in a chopper crash in September last. Some of them committed suicide while some died due to heart failure after they come know the news of YSR's death.But the real agenda is a massive show of strength.
After his father died, the Congress chose to appoint K Rosaiah, then the Finance Minister, to take over as Chief Minister. Jagan's supporters were not happy. In Delhi, Congress sources revealed that the party was worried that Jagan didn't have the experience to handle the Congress' bitterly divided camps in Andhra.
Jagan backed off, reportedly turning down a compromise that would give him a role at the Centre.
Now, the party's central command allegedly permitted him to embark on his journey on the condition that it would be limited to courtesy calls to the families who adopted his tragedy as their own.
"Our beloved leader YSR can be seen in every smile of you all. I will also be part of that smile. I will be one of your family members," Jagan says at one such home.
But political analysts say Jagan's tour de force is aimed at showing the party's leaders in Delhi that his family's clout cannot be ignored. Simultaneously, he wants to remind those he visits that there is an heir apparent who has not been given his due.
"YSR built a huge politico-economic empire in his five-year term. The beneficiaries of that empire would like to see Jagan as the chief minister. They have not given up the battle though Rosaiah for now is the chief minister," says political commentator K.Nageshwar.
On the ground, the bonding between voters and a politician is quietly unfolding. "We are feeling happy that Jagan has come to our home. It is like our brother coming back to us," says a man at a house visited by Jagan.
But making political connections will be tougher for Jagan. Sources say that his supporters, currently ministers in Rosaiah's cabinet, are wary of openly standing by him for fear of losing their jobs. For them, Jagan will have to offer a more powerful reminder of what he stands for, and what he can deliver.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
