The Congress party's central leadership failed to persuade Kadapa MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy to call off his ‘Odarpu Yatra' (tour to console families) commencing on Friday in Warangal.
On a day of fast-paced developments on Thursday, AICC general secretary M. Veerappa Moily called Mr. Jagan and made it clear that the Congress high command was not in favour of his resuming the yatra. When contacted by The Hindu in New Delhi, Mr. Moily said Mr. Jagan was advised that it was not desirable at this juncture to undertake such a yatra. “We don't want peace to be disturbed at this stage. Peace has returned to Telangana only in the last three months after the violent agitation,” he said.
Mr. Jagan reportedly expressed to the AICC leader his inability to call off the tour stating that it was a private visit. He also referred to the death of a dalit labourer Yadagiri in Warangal district due to heart attack on learning that attempts were being made to prevent his tour.
Mr. Moily later informed Chief Minister K. Rosaiah about the adamant stand taken by the MP and suggested to him to take all precautions to prevent any breach of the law and order. The Chief Minister convened an emergency Cabinet meeting with the available Ministers and briefed them about the high command's mood.
He expressed apprehensions about likely trouble in view of the rigid stand taken by Mr. Jagan camp as well as his detractors in the TRS and the Congress.
Some Ministers suggested that a team could meet Mr. Jagan and convince him to call off the yatra. However, the Chief Minister rejected the suggestion saying that it would be loss of face for the government if the Kadapa MP rejected the plea. Another proposal for assembling all the 77 families of deceased persons at one place for Mr. Jagan to interact also did not find favour.
The meeting concluded with the Chief Minister directing Home Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy to keep a close watch on the law and order situation. The Police Department has already decided to provide security to the MP under certain conditions that he keep it informed about the route and the timing.
Later, Ms. Sabitha Reddy and Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy met Mr. Jagan at the latter's residence.
