VIJAYAWADA: The parting of ways by several leaders after the demise of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was a setback to the Congress, said APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy on Wednesday.
“Those were emotionally-charged times. Many leaders, including Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, chose to leave the party, pushing the Congress into an unprecedented crisis. However, it has been striving for the welfare of the masses and development path shown by Rajasekhara Reddy,” he asserted.
The portrayal of the Congress as the villain of the piece during bifurcation by the TDP, the BJP, and the YSR Congress compounded its woes, Mr. Raghuveera Reddy added.
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Addressing the YSRC activists from Penamaluru and Kanuru mandals who joined the Congress here, Mr. Raghuveera Reddy said: “Mr. Rajasekhara Reddy had, a few days before his death, made us swear to work together for making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister. We are committed to it. But, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy’s party has been working the opposite way.”
He said that several Congress leaders switched loyalties to the TDP and the BJP in their quest for power.
“The Congress does not need such leadership. We are pretty confident that with the cooperation of people like you ‘Indiramma rajyam’ can be ushered in,” he observed.
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“Only the Congress, which is a national party, and not the regional parties such as the TDP and the YSRC, can save Andhra Pradesh from the difficult situation created by denial of Special Category Status,” he said.
Former Minister P. Balaraju said that Andhra Pradesh was the first State to introduce a sub-plan for the welfare of tribal communities. The party was still committed to the well-being of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities, he added.
DCC president Dhanekula Murali and State Mahila Congress president S. Padmasri were among those present.