An upcoming meeting convened by YS Vijayalakshmi, wife of former Chief Minister of combined Andhra Pradesh late Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy, on the occasion of his 12th death anniversary, has exposed rumblings within the family. Vijayalakshmi sent invitations to nearly 300 people who were closely associated with YSR, including his erstwhile cabinet colleagues, well-wishers and media persons, to attend the “YSR commemoration meeting” in Telangana’s Hyderabad on September 2.
She personally called up several YSR’s close associates, including KVP Ramachandra Rao and former MPs Vundavalli Arun Kumar and Lagadapati Rajagopal, requesting them to attend the meeting, and recall their association with the departed leader. She is also hosting dinner for all the invitees after the meeting.
It is, however, not confirmed whether Vijayalakshmi’s son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy — the president of the YSR Congress party and the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister — is among the invitees; but he is certainly not attending the meeting. “He will attend the memorial prayers for his father at YSR Samadhi in Idupulapaya estate in Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh in the morning and return to his official residence in Tadepalli in Amaravati by evening,” an official from the chief minister’s office (CMO) said, indicating he won’t be staying back for the meeting in Hyderabad to attend the meeting being convened by his mother.
However, Vijayamma’s daughter YS Sharmila, who launched a regional political outfit in Telangana —YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) — on July 8, is expected to attend the commemoration meeting. In fact, Sharmila’s decision to float a new political party in Telangana has been the cause of the rumblings in the family.
Jagan had strongly opposed her decision and even tried to persuade her to withdraw her move, a fact that was openly admitted by his family friend and an advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, when Sharmila first announced her plans in February this year. “There were discussions within the family over Sharmila’s decision to float a new party in Telangana. Jagan tried to prevail upon her to drop her plan as it would strain the relations between the two Telugu states; but she insisted on going ahead. There were differences of opinions between Jagan and Sharmila,” Reddy said.
There was a talk in the party that Sharmila, who took up a marathon 3,000-km-long padayatra in 2012-13 to keep YSRCP active when Jagan was imprisoned in connection with a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) case, demanded her rightful share in the party and that she be nominated to Rajya Sabha. When Jagan refused to entertain her demand, she decided to launch her own political party in Telangana.
Since then, Jagan and Sharmila had not been in talking terms. Even on the 72nd birth anniversary of their late father on July 8 this year, they scheduled their programmes at YSR Samadhi in Idupulapaya in such a way that they did not face each other. On Raksha Bandhan day, on August 22, Sharmila did not visit Jagan to tie the Rakhi, as she used to every year in the past. She merely wished her brother on Twitter.
“Ever since Jagan came to power in Andhra Pradesh in May 2019, he has been keeping his relatives at bay, except a few who had already been in politics for a long time. He even forced his mother Vijayalakshmi, who has been the honorary president of YSRCP, to keep away from active politics, despite the fact that she became an MLA from Pulivendula after the death of her husband in September 2009 and unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Visakhapatnam in 2014,” said a YSRC leader.
However, when Sharmila announced the launch of her regional party in Telangana in February, Vijayalakshmi came into the limelight again by standing by her daughter. She not only attended Sharmila’s first public meeting at Khammam on April 9 but also addressed the massive crowds, seeking their blessings for her daughter. She was also present at the launch of YSRTP at a convention centre in Hyderabad on July 8.
Apparently, Vijayamma’s decision to encourage Sharmila to launch a new political party angered her son. Sources close to the family said Jagan allegedly had a tiff with his mother during her visit to Tadepalli a few days ago, over her open support to Sharmila. “Being the honorary president of YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh, how can you openly extend support to her party in Telangana? Does it not affect the interests of YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh?” he reportedly asked her.
Vijayamma is learnt to have allegedly told Jagan that she needs to stand by Sharmila and she doesn’t mind giving up her post in YSRCP. “In all probability, Vijayamma will resign from the YSRC honorary president post in a day or two,” the sources quoted above said.
Jagan is also unlikely to join his mother and sister at the memorial prayers at Idupulapaya on the YSR death anniversary on Thursday morning. He is expected to attend the prayers separately, after the mother-daughter duo leave for Hyderabad, sources said.
The timing of the YSR commemoration meeting by Vijayamma also evoked a lot of surprise in the political circles. “Never after YSR’s death in the last 12 years did Vijayamma plan such a meeting. She has been lying low in politics all these years. What she wants to achieve by holding this meeting is still surprising,” a YSRC leader said.
Incidentally, after the bifurcation of the combined state, there has been no relevance for YSR in Telangana, as his son Jagan has already conquered Andhra Pradesh. “If Vijayamma wants to hold the meeting in memory of her husband, she should have done in Idupulapaya or Pulivendula, his native place. What is the purpose of holding a memorial meeting in Hyderabad?” he asked.
It is unlikely that many of the erstwhile YSR colleagues who are presently in various parties — the Congress, the YSRCP, the TDP, the TRS and the BJP — will attend the meeting.
According to sources in the YSRCP, none of the senior party leaders such as Dharmana Prasada Rao and Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, who had earlier worked with YSR, would attend the meeting in Hyderabad, as they don’t want to antagonise Jagan.
Some others who joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, such as K Kesava Rao, D Srinivas, Sabita Indra Reddy, K R Suresh Reddy and Sunitha Lakshma Reddy; those who joined the BJP like D K Aruna and A P Jitender Reddy, also might not turn up for the meeting.
However, those who are continuing in the Congress — Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, K Jana Reddy, Damodar Raja Narasimha, D Sridhar Babu and J Geetha Reddy — may attend the meeting, sources said.
Srinivasa Rao Apparasu is a senior journalist based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He has over three decades of reporting experience.