Jaganmohan Reddy's visit to Tirumala temple sparks controversy

                                                                                
Tirumala:  YSR Congress President YS Jaganmohan Reddy's visit to Tirumala's Balaji Temple on Wednesday morning has turned out to be controversial, because, critics say, he went in for a darshan without signing the formal declaration about his faith in god, violating the temple rules.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) rules require people belonging to non-Hindu religions to sign a formal declaration for the darshan of Lord Balaji. Jaganmohan Reddy, son of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSR Reddy, is a practising Christian.

Jagan Reddy's supporters claim, that he had visited the temple earlier, in 2009, and had signed a declaration at that time. According to the supporters, the procedure need not be repeated. However, some others say it has to be done every time a non-Hindu enters the temple. They point out that even high profile visitors like Congress President Sonia Gandhi have followed the formality.

Jagan Reddy visited the temple along with his party's Tirupati candidate Bhumana Karunakara Reddy, who has been the TTD chairperson in the past, and 60 others. A VIP darshan slot was reportedly allotted to the Kadapa MP and he was allowed to go in along wih all his supporters.

TTD Executive Officer, LV Subramanyam has said an inquiry has been ordered and it is being ascertained whether it is necessary to sign the declaration every time a person visits the temple. 
from ndtv

Jagan: CM singing Sonia tune

                                                                                
YSR Congress president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday lambasted Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, saying that his government was dedicated to the chanting of AICC president Sonia Gandhi's name and was utterly neglecting the welfare of the farmers. Addressing a public gathering at Jyothi Theatre Centre here as part of the byelection campaign, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the farmers were in utter distress.
“The position of the agriculture sector in the state is that the farmers find it easy to commit suicide rather than carrying out cultivation,” the Kadapa MP said. Earlier, he launched a scathing attack on erstwhile Praja Rajyam president K. Chiranjeevi, who vacated the Tirupati seat to go to Rajya Sabha, “for ditching people for political promotion.” Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy said, “Had he (Mr Chiranjeevi) resigned for the welfare of the poor, students and farmers, I would have saluted him. But he mortgaged the hopes and aspirations of the people of Tirupati and surrendered to New Delhi for political promotion.”
The YSR Congress chief appealed to the peopl to vote for the YSR Congress and herald a change in the politically instable state that was “being remote-controlled from New Delhi.” The Kadapa MP termed the current byelections as a fight between righteousness and evil in politics. He became emotional while reacting to TD chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s recent comment against him.
“He (Mr Naidu) questioned about my religion and caste. Humanism is my religion and my caste is to think about the welfare of the poor and downtrodden,” he said. Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy said that it was Mr Naidu who engineered the irregularities in the Emaar deals by selling lands at lower than market rates.
He defended the gesture of his father, former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, of allocating lands to some pharmaceutical firms, “as they were aimed at generating employment for the locals (of Mahbubngar district).” Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy also alleged bias in the CBI probes against him vis-a-vis his political rivals.
He announced the name of former TTD chief Bhumana Karunakar Reddy as the YSR Congress candidate for the Tirupati bypolls.
from dc

Babus want state to face SC

                                                                        
Bureaucrats who have been asked to reply to Supreme Court notices on the controversial Government Orders in the assets case of Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy are in the mood to drag in the government and put paid to Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy’s efforts to avoid the government taking a stand on the orders. Several officers are planning to inform the apex court that they followed the rule book in issuing the orders and it was for the government to decide on the genuineness and validity of the Government Orders.
Many of the officers submitted a detailed note to chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi explaining the procedure followed in issuing orders. They strongly defended the orders and indicated that the same would be reflected in the affidavits they filed before the court. Sources said this has got the top brass of the administration to begin a fire-fighting exercise. They have suggested to the officers that they need not go into the merits of the case while filing counter-affidavits.
“The issue is whether the Supreme Court shall admit the case or not. We shall convince the court that as the Central Bureau of Investigation is already seized of the matter and has questioned the officers who issued the orders, there is no need for any parallel probe,” one officer said. The Chief Minister expressed a similar view when the officers and ministers met him to discuss the case some time ago. The top brass held out the hope that the respondents would get out of the legal tangle at the admission stage itself.
from dc

Konda ready to withdraw if...

                                                                                  
WARANGAL: YSR Congress leader and former MLA Konda Surekha alleged that TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao amassed wealth in the name of Telangana movement. She said that she would reveal details of Rao’s corruption soon.
Speaking to mediapersons at her residence on Monday, she said that Chandrasekhar Rao diluted the Telangana movement by using it for the vested interests of his family. “He never hesitates to remove those coming in his way. In the same manner, he is planning to remove Prof Kodandaram from the TJAC,” she said.
The former minister said that the TRS chief, setting aside the Telangana agitation, has been fielding candidates in polls just for votes and seats. “TRS candidates won in the recent bypolls. Then why had not separate Telangana become a reality?,” questioned Surekha.
The pink party leaders are telling people that Telangana will be carved out if their party man is voted to power in Parkal bypolls.
“If the TRS leaders tell me how Telangana will be carved out if Parkal seat is won by their party, I will withdraw from the contest,” she said.
Surekha faulted the TRS chief for doing nothing for the development of Parkal constituency except planning to mobilise people in heavy numbers for poll campaigning.
She said that people in Parkal would not believe in Rao’s gimmicks. Rao has not provided aid to the families of Telangana martyrs, the YSRC leader said.
She claimed that she had sacrificed ministerial berth for the sake of late chief minister YSR and her MLA post for the sake of Telangana.
FROM IBN LIVE

Actor Giribabu join YSRCP

                                                                           
HYDERABAD: The ‘Operation K’ launched by YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is slowly picking up momentum even as the Telugu Desam has warned those who support Jagan that they will land in jail.
Vizianagaram leader and former chief whip Gadde Babu Rao, who was in the TDP for more than 30 years, formally joined the YSRCP in the presence of Jagan. Veteran actor Giribabu, also a Kamma from Prakasam district, also joined the party.
Though the TDP claimed that TDP Vijayawada Urban unit president Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan would not jump on the Jagan bandwagon, Vamsi has not yet given his written reply to the show-cause notice served by the party.
Speaking to reporters on Operation-K of Jagan, TDP MLC and Kamma leader from Krishna district Yelamanchili Babu Rajendra Prasad recalled that several Kammas who had backed former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy now landed in jails and cited the examples of Koneru Rajendra Prasad, Nimmagadda Prasad, Tummala Ranga Rao and Potluri Varaprasad. “I do not think more leaders (Kammas) will support Jagan and land in jails,” he remarked.
Asked if film actor Balakrishna, who has a running feud with NTR Jr, had played a role in the issuance of show-cause notice to Vamsi Mohan, Rajendra Prasad denied any such interference. Stating that the media gave much importance to Vamsi-Jagan hug-show, he said: “if I were to face Jagan, I would turn my face and leave that place.”
Notwithstanding the TDP’s claims, the war between the fans of Balakrishna and NTR Jr is hotting up in the state. Some fans of Balakrishna reportedly are sending SMSes urging other fans not to patronise the latest movie, Dammu, of NTR Jr. “Nandamuri simham is only Balayya,” the SMS asserts and ends with “Jai Balayya, Jai TDP”.
FROM IBN LIVE