Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday alleged that his rivals have ganged up and even involved his two sisters in orchestrating conspiracies against him.
The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief was addressing a public meeting in Pulivendula, where he filed the nomination for next month’s Assembly election.
The Chief Minister was responding to the allegations made by his sister and state Congress chief, YS Sharmila Reddy and cousin YS Suneetha Reddy.
YS Sharmila Reddy is contesting from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency as a Congress candidate and she is backed by Suneetha Reddy, daughter of slain former minister, YS Vivekananda Reddy.
Both have been targeting CM Jagan for once again fielding YS Avinash Reddy as the YSRCP candidate from Kadapa despite the CBI naming him as an accused in Vivekananda Reddy’s murder.
They accused the Chief Minister of shielding the killer and promoting the politics of murder.
“Many forces are uniting against your child, be it Chandrababu, adopted son (Pawan Kalyan), BJP, Congress, the yellow media – and if that weren't sufficient, we're witnessing the conspiracies they're orchestrating by involving my two sisters,” he said.
Jagan Mohan Reddy also responded to Sharmila’s allegation that after becoming the Chief Minister he neglected her.
“I didn't assume the role of Chief Minister to accumulate wealth or make my family members crorepatis. God has bestowed upon me this position to ensure the people's well-being. This is what I want to tell my family members who say that I neglected them after becoming the Chief Minister,” he said.
The YSRCP leader also lashed out at Congress party, accusing it of doing injustice to Andhra Pradesh and also trying to discredit the legacy of his late father and former Chief Minister, YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR).
“How many votes did Congress secure (in 2019)? Congress didn’t even receive as many votes as NOTA did. This party is responsible for the state's bifurcation. It did not include the special category status in the state reorganisation Act. After YSR’s demise, they were the ones who implicated him in the charge sheet, aiming to discredit the YSR legacy. By supporting such a party, aren't you inadvertently supporting the TDP and BJP alliance?” he asked.
On his uncle Vivekananda Reddy’s murder, CM Jagan reiterated that God and people of Pulivendula know who was responsible for it and who orchestrated the murder.
“People are witnessing who sent my two sisters to discredit us and who is backing them. What's even more surprising is that the murderer unabashedly confesses to the crime and openly discusses it with the public, with supporters rallying behind him. You all bear witness to this,” he said without naming anyone.
The Chief Minister also took a dig at Chandrababu Naidu and some media groups for using derogatory terms about Rayalaseema, Kadapa and Pulivendula.
“They often point fingers and label it as 'Pulivendula Culture', 'Kadapa culture', and 'Rayalaseema culture'. Indeed! Our culture thrives on goodwill towards the people. Upholding promises is ingrained in our culture, not surrendering to threats is our culture,” he said.
CM Jagan later filed his nomination from the Pulivendula Assembly segment. It is one of the Assembly segments under Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency.
Avinash Reddy, who is seeking re-election from Kadapa for a third term, accompanied CM Jagan during the filing of nomination.
Elections to the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats are scheduled on May 13.
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