YSR Congress launches Jagan's sister as new party face

                                                                                     

Hyderabad: Jagan Mohan Reddy's sister, Sharmila has now taken political centre stage in Andhra Pradesh after the YSR Congress chief put behind bars by the CBI.

Sharmila, whose speech and style are already drawing comparisons with her late father, is sweating it out on the campaign trail alongside her mother Vijayamma, playing the sympathy card and accusing Congress of witch hunting her family.
"They've sent Jagan behind bars. Why have they done that?" Sharmila said
The by-polls in 18 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat are being touted as a litmus test for the YSR Congress party. With less than a week left for the by-polls, the race for a win is heating up. Political stakes are high and it's no surprise that the Congress has called in star power Chiranjeevi and Ghulam Nabi Azad to campaign alongside the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. All of them defending CBI's move to arrest Jagan as apolitical.
"Even if Jagan was in Congress. he would have been prosecuted. These are his own misdeeds not Congress's," Azad said.
With Jagan behind bars, his sister Sharmila Reddy has emerged as the surprise campaigner for the YSR congress party. While she is succeeding in pulling crowds, party supporters are concerned whether or not she will be able to translate these large numbers on ground into votes.
Meanwhile, the election officials have seized a record Rs 32 crore in cash and Rs 9 crore worth valuables ahead of the by-polls on June 12. The muscle and money power, an indication perhaps, of the desperate political situation in Andhra Pradesh.
from IBN Live

Vijayamma has a right to campaign: Vijayashanthi

                                                                                

TRS senior leader and MP Vijayashanthi has appealed to party cadre not to obstruct the visit and campaign of YSR Congress leader Vijayamma who was scheduled to visit the district on May 8 as part of her campaign.

Ms. Vijayashanthi, who arrived in the district here on Wednesday for a two-day tour and campaign for TRS candidate M. Bikshapathi, has said that in a democracy anyone can tour and campaign for their respective party. The TRS workers should not create any trouble for Vijayamma who is coming to campaign for her party candidate, Konda Surekha.

“If some students or youth pose any problem for YSR Congress Party campaign, the TRS will not be responsible,” Ms. Vijayashanthi said.

The people of Telangana have been demanding that every party clarify their stand on the issue and the people will be willing to listen. The parties and leaders should honour the sentiments of the people and conduct themselves accordingly, she added.

Ms. Vijayashanthi said that she would campaign on Wednesday and Thursday for TRS candidate M. Bikshapathi. She was ready to spend more time but due to security reasons, she had to restrict her time. Party president K. Chandrasekhar Rao will address a public meeting on May 9 at Parkal, she said.

from Hindu

‘Jagan never met any officer, Minister'

                                                                            

The YSR Congress party honorary president Y.S. Vijayamma and her daughter Sharmila made a scathing attack on the Congress, TDP and the CBI accusing the three of being responsible for the arrest of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

The duo took part in a road show at Yemmiganur on Wednesday, which attracted an impressive gathering. The gathering expected Vijayamma to share her agony on account of the Jagan's arrest and YSR tragic death with the audience but she preferred to explain the schemes implemented by her late husband and innocence of Jagan. She said Jaganmohan Reddy had never met any officer, Minister or neither visited the secretariat when his late father was the Chief Minister.

She faulted Kiran Kumar Reddy for saying that imprisonment could be upto 14 years in Jagan's case which she said would amount to influencing the court. She dismissed the contention of Chiranjeevi that schemes implemented in the State were that of the Congress saying the actor should tell public where he was when the schemes were drawn up before the 2004 election.

YSRCP candidate Y. Channa Kesava Reddy, former MLC S.V. Mohan Reddy and former minister M. Mareppa and others took part in the road show.

from Hindu

YSRCP activists protest ‘victimisation' of Jagan

                                                                                 

Activists owing allegiance to the students wing of the YSR Congress Party formed a human chain here on Wednesday in protest against the alleged vendetta politics being pursued by the Congress targeting their party president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.

The student activists torched the effigy of AICC president Sonia Gandhi near the Yellendu crossroads here.

Student wing leaders Goli Anoop, Vasantha, Mahesh Reddy, and others participated in the agitation, according to party sources.

Earlier, YSR Congress Party district leaders P. Ajay Kumar, M. Niranjan Reddy, P. Venkateshwarlu, and Ayub visited the relay hunger strike camp in front of the Collectorate and extended their support to the ongoing agitation against the arrest of Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy by the Cental Bureau of Investigation.

from Hindu

Jagan seeks access to media from jail

                                                                                

YSR Congress president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is presently in jail, filed a petition in the A. P. High Court on Wednesday complaining that jail authorities were not freely permitting him to communicate with the people of the State through print and electronic media.

Fundamental right

In a writ petition, Mr. Jagan claimed that he has a fundamental right to be in continuous contact with the people of the State, to espouse their causes and to address them.

He said that he wanted to inform the people about the campaign launched against him, but jail authorities had refused to attest the letter on the ground that its contents had the character of a political message.

He averred that Prison Rules do not contemplate such restriction since he was only an undertrial.

Meanwhile, Justice K.C. Bhanu closed the writ petition filed by Mr. Jagan's wife Mrs. Bharati Reddy, seeking high security for him in jail.

Proper escort

This followed the Government Pleader's assurance that appropriate directions had been given by the senior officers and Mr. Jagan's security was being monitored.

In fact, he was not allowed outside his barrack without being provided a proper escort .

The judge recorded the contention of the State government and closed the case.

from Hindu

Jagan case: ED yet to initiate legal formalities

                                                                                

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) may take some more time to launch its investigations against YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and possibly question him for alleged violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) as it is yet to initiate the legal formalities.

Sources said the ED has to file a petition in the Special Court for CBI Cases seeking permission to question Jagan either in prison or for taking him into its custody. However, the ED has not filed any such petition so far.

It had earlier sought the court's permission to question the accused in the illegal mining by Obulapuram Mining Company, Emaar Properties and disproportionate assets case against Jagan. But its petitions are yet to be disposed of by the court because some of the accused, now lodged in jail, such as IAS officers B.P. Acharya and Y. Srilakshmi, besides Koneru Prasad, have filed objections to the ED's move. The ED authorities have taken copies of charge-sheets filed in the illegal mining, Emaar and Jagan cases. But it is yet to lay its hands on the supplementary charge-sheet in Emaar case and the second and third charge-sheets in Jagan case, all filed by the CBI. The court has since given notices to the CBI already asking it whether it had any objection to parting with the copies of documents sought by the ED. Sources stated that the CBI is likely to file its response on Thursday in this regard. Once it collects all the charge-sheets, the ED will have to come to a conclusion whether there is a prima facie case or not of violations of PMLA and FEMA. Once it is convinced on this score, it will send its officials to the countries from where money was allegedly transferred to companies through the ‘hawala' route. These investigations will form the basis of its decision to question the Kadapa MP.

from Hindu