Jagan backing YSR's arch political foe: Kiran

Kovur by-election a historic one in recent times, says Chief Minister

Terming the Kovur by-poll a historic one in recent times, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy appealed to the voters to elect the Congress nominee, Polamreddy Srinivasulu Reddy, to bring back development to the constituency which was badly neglected in the past three years

Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy called upon people of Kovur constituency not to vote for the YSR Congress Party, as Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy had tied up with his father YSR's arch political foe, Chandrababu Naidu, with an ulterior motive to defeat the Congress in the by-election.

Terming the Kovur by-poll a historic one in recent times, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy appealed to the voters to elect the Congress nominee, Polamreddy Srinivasulu Reddy, to bring back development to the constituency which was badly neglected in the past three years.

Addressing a well-attended election meeting here, about 20 km north of Nellore, on Friday, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy mainly targeted his criticism at the YSR Congress president and his party nominee, Nallapureddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy. He asked as to why Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy, whose family owed a lot to the Congress, joined hands with Mr. Chandrababu Naidu with the aim to throw out the Congress Government through the no-confidence motion in the Assembly.

‘Owes explanation'

Enumerating the list of welfare and development programmes of his government, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy asserted that his government was extending the Re. 1 per kg rice scheme, interest-free loans to women's groups, bank loans to 95 lakh farmers in the State, 8 lakh additional pensions to poor people and 2.25 crore ration cards. Despite this good work, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy left the party and “conspired to dethrone the government” for which he owed an explanation to the people, the Chief Minister said.

Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy made a dig at the YSR Congress nominee, saying that it would be difficult to know whether Mr. Prasanna Kumar Reddy would continue in the same party before the election ends. “Kovur people elected Prasanna Kumar in 2009, though YSR campaigned for Srinivasulu Reddy who was the Congress candidate then. But Prasanna changed his loyalty and followed YSR. Now again he left the Congress and joined Jagan's party. It is difficult to say in which party Mr. Prasanna Kumar will be at a given point of time,” the Chief Minister said.

Union Minister of State for Textiles Panabaka Lakshmi, Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, MPs Chinta Mohan, Lagadapati Rajagopal and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, MLC Vakati Narayana Reddy and others spoke.