Jagan to resume tour to Telangana after by-elections

Congress MP from Kadapa Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy on Friday asserted that he would resume his tour of Telangana districts as part of the “Odarpu Yatra” after the by-elections to 12 Assembly seats.

Talking to reporters here after he was escorted back by the police in wake of his arrest in Wangapally in Nalgonda district, Mr. Reddy said there was no going back on his promise of continuing his yatra.

The MP said what he could understand from today's incidents was that the TRS was afraid of his tour because of the impending by-elections. “Let the fear haunt them, I will certainly visit Telangana districts after the by-elections,” he said.

Undeterred by the violent incidents that rocked Mahabubabad in Warangal district and other parts of the State, Mr. Jagan told reporters that he would not be cowed down by the threats held out by the pro-Telangana forces particularly, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

Justifying his decision to tour Warangal to call on the families of those persons, who died after untimely death of his father, Mr. Jagan said the TRS had needlessly politicised his tour. “I never said it is political visit. I wanted to call on the families who lost their dear ones. Why should it hurt the TRS?” he said.

'Fulfilling promise '

He maintained that he was fulfilling the promise he had made at Pavurallagutta that he would visit all the families of those who died of shock. “The Telangana issue was not there when I had made this promise. It is strange that the TRS objects to my visit now,” he said. He also made a fervent appeal to his supporters and the Congress workers to observe restraint. “As soon as I realised that some Congress workers indulged in violence, upset over my arrest, I appealed to them to remain calm,” he remarked.