Janardhan Reddy's aide campaigning for YSR Congress party in Andhra by-election

                                                                               
Despite repeated denials by YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy about his business and political links with mining baron and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, the ongoing campaign by the Kadapa MP for the June 12 by-elections in the state has proved that there is indeed a nexus between the two.
For the last few days, Janardhan Reddy's close aide and Bellary (rural) MLA B Sriramulu has been actively campaigning in Rayadurg assembly constituency in Anantapur district, where YSR Congress party candidate Kapu Ramachandra Reddy is contesting.
Interestingly, Ramachandra Reddy is also a director on the board of Obulapuram Mining Company owned by the Bellary mine lord which has since suspended the mining operations following the CBI inquiry into the illegal mining scandal.
Sriramulu, who had resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party and won the Bellary (rural) seat again as an independent, floated his own political outfit BSR Party which stands for: Badavara (of the poor), Shramikara (of the working class) and Raitara (of farmers) five months ago.
It may be a coincidence that his party's name closely resembles YSR Congress, in which Y stands for Yuvajana, S for Shramika and R for Rythu. And another strange coincidence is that Sriramulu had chosen "ceiling fan" as an election symbol for his party and it happens to be the election symbol of Jagan party as well.
Rayadurg, being on the borders of Bellary, has a large number of voters from Boya community to which Sriramulu belongs. Apart from Sriramulu, his family members and a large number of BSR Party leaders and cadres are campaigning for the victory of YSR Congress party in Rayadurg. While the Congress party has chosen former MLA Patil Venugopal Reddy as its candidate, the TDP has fielded Dileep Reddy as its candidate.
During his electioneering, Sriramulu said the Congress party had meted out grave injustice to Jaganmohan Reddy after the death of his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. "Only Jagan can bring back the golden rule of his father to the state," Sriramulu said.
Sources in the Congress party said Gali Janardhan Reddy and his brothers were also financing the candidates of YSR Congress in Kadapa and Anantapur districts.
"Everybody in the party knows that it was Janardhan Reddy who got the Congress party ticket to Kapu Ramachandra Reddy in Rayadurg because of his proximity with YSR," a senior Congress leader from Rayalaseema said.
It is an open secret that the Bellary brothers had been close associates of YSR family for several years. Janardhan Reddy originally hails from Chittoor district and is later settled in Bellary taking up iron ore business has become a business associate of Jaganmohan in the last five years.
It was during the YSR regime that the Bellary brothers had got mining leases in hundreds of acres in Anantapur, bordering Bellary. The YSR government had also granted licence to Janardhan Reddy to set up Brahmani Steels Limited at Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district and allocated 10,675 acres of land for the steel plant at a nominal rate of Rs.18,500 per acre and magnanimously allotted another 4,000 acres to construct an international standard airport near the steel plant.
The CBI has suspected that the money made through illegal mining in the OMC had been routed into Jagan's business empire through other companies.
 from India Today

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/reddy-aide-campaigning-for-jagans-party-in-andhra-by-poll/1/187759.html

TDP, Congress colluded: Jagan

                                                                                 
YSR Congress president and Kadapa MP Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy came down heavily on the Congress and the Telugu Desam, stating that the ruling and opposition parties had colluded in state politics.
Mr Jagan addressed various road shows as part of the byelection campaign in Anantapur town on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, he said that government and the opposition had colluded and were foisting cases against Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. Mr Jagan alleged that Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy had allocated five areas worth crores of rupees in Ameerpet, Hyderabad to TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu as a goodwill gesture.
The YSR Congress chief also criticised the CBI, stating that the premier investigative agency was adopting double standards. He said that the CBI had found fault with land given on 25 year lease to a company for setting up factories in Mahbubnagar district when Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy was chief minister and had started investigating into the land dealing. However, it had not taken up investigation into Chandrababu Naidu allocating 535 acres of prime land in Hyderabad for construction of luxury villages at a cost of Rs 29 lakh per acre when the market value was a whopping Rs 4 crore per acre, said Mr Jagan.
“Funds are not released for operations for the poor. Welfare programme are completely neglected,” he said, stating that the byelections will herald a new beginning in state politics. YSR Congress Anantapur candidate B. Gurunath Reddy was also present.
From DC

Jagan slams Naidu, CBI

                                                                    
ANANTAPUR: YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy targeted the TD and CBI on the second day of his electioneering in Anantapur urban constituency on Monday.

Addressing a series of roadshows in the town after offering prayers at a dargah in Chandrababu Naidu Colony and a church in Aravind Nagar, he accused TD supremo N Chandrababu Naidu of misusing power to grab lands. He charged the TD chief with giving away valuable lands in Hyderabad to his kin during his nine-year regime.

He said the CBI is finding fault with late chief minister YS Rajasekahra Reddy for allotting lands for development of industries in backward districts of Mahbubnagar and Medak districts, while conveniently leaving Chandrababu Naidu, who gave away lands for luxury resorts and golf clubs.

Jagan maintained that the Opposition party was more interested in tarnishing the image of Rajasekhara Reddy than in solving the problems of the poor and farmers.

He blamed the ‘direction-less policies’ of the state government for the suicides by farmers in the state. He wondered why no one was questioning the banks for charging more interest from women on the loans taken under the Pavala Vaddi scheme.

Stating that the 17 MLAs have resigned their posts to teach a lesson to the government which is least bothered about people’s welfare and called upon the people to re-elect them with a massive mandate. He said everyone is aware how the party nominee Gurunath Reddy strove for the welfare of Anantapur people.

Meanwhile, large number of Congress leaders� joined the YSR Congress. Notable among those include former Anantapur municipal chairman A Narayana Reddy, his son A Adinarayana Reddy. 

from Ibn Live

Andhra CM Kiran Reddy goes for Jagan's Jugular

                                                                             
SRIKAKULAM/RAJAHMUNDRY: Departing from his usual style, chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy for the first time let go at two of his tormentors, one insider and another outsider.
While drawing the Lakshman Rekha for health minister D L Ravindra Reddy, the chief minister launched a vehement attack on the Kadapa MP during a byelection campaign rally at Draksharamam in East Godavari district. Claiming to be staggered by Jagan’s wealth, amassed by blindsiding his father Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, he also claimed that the late chief minister’s legacy -- which the Kadapa MP claims as a birthright -- rightly belongs to the Congress.
For weeks, Kiran Kumar’s critics had been barracking him for being soft on Jagan, with Ravindra Reddy even calling him a covert operative of the YSRC leader. But taking everyone by surprise on Monday, Kiran Kumar came down heavily on Jagan Mohan Reddy: “He has built a palace with 80 rooms! What kind of a person would need that? You can imagine the kind of person Jagan Mohan Reddy is.”
All through his campaign tour, the chief minister was a man touched to the quick. At Srikaklulam, he spelt out the party line to Ravindra Reddy: “If he does not mend his ways, he’ll have to face action.”  He said the party high command would give Ravindra Reddy time to eat his words, and move in for summary action, if he did not do so.
At Draksharamam, he went for Jagan’s jugular. “The late YSR dreamt of making Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister in 2014. And here is Jagan Mohan Reddy trying to obliterate the dream,” Kiran said.
“Despite being the son of a life-long Congress man, Jagan is now hobnobbing with TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and TRS president K Chandrasekhara Rao to bring down the state government,” he said.
Kiran Kumar Reddy recalled YSR telling him at a Congress Legislature Party meeting that no Congress man, under any circumstances, should work against the interests of the party. “You should obey the orders of the high command,” he quoted YSR.  “Jagan Reddy was also there at the meeting that day. But what did he learn from his father?”
At both Srikakulam and Draksharamam, he criticised Jagan for bringing these byelections upon  the people only to serve his own interests. “No one wanted these elections. It is an additional expenditure which people would have to bear. Because of bypolls, development work has come to a standstill for 50 days,” he said.
from Ibn Live

YSRCP takes up membership drive

                                                                      

YSR Congress Party city and Guntur district observer P. Gowtham Reddy launched the party's membership drive in 19th, 43rd, and 58th divisions in Vijayawada on Sunday and the exercise continued on Monday also.

Mr. Gowtham Reddy along with party leaders visited the colonies, enquired the residents about their problems and participated in a few inaugurations.

In the 58th division (Singh Nagar), a few party activists from Telugu Desam and CPI (M) joined the YSR Congress Party. About 100 youth joined the party in the presence of Mr. Gowtham Reddy in 43rd division.

The party city in-charge along with local leader Adi Seshagiri Rao and others enquired the people about their problems. Women complained that there was severe drinking water problem in Kasturibai Peta.

The locals said that water was not being supplied regularly and women were facing acute shortage of potable water in the locality. Later, Mr. Gowtham Reddy inaugurated a water kiosk at Nimma Thota centre.

YSRCP 45th division convenor K.P. Naidu, 58th division convenor Sivamma, local leaders T. Shyam, Gokaneswara Rao, and others participated.

from Hindu