Congress tries to claim political legecay of YSR Reddy with book

NEW DELHI: Congress is keen on projecting that the fight over the political legacy of the late YS Rajashekhara Reddy (YSR), former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, is far from over. A book written by his former aide, KVP Ramachandra Rao, on YSR's long march across Andhra Pradesh in 2003, which catapulted the party to power the next year, will be released by not just one but two senior Congress leaders - Motilal Vora and Ghulam Nabi Azad- on Friday. A message written by party president Sonia Gandhi will also be read out on the occasion.

The book entitled, Padyatra, My Diary, has already been released in Telugu. It is the English translation which would be released on Friday. Cabinet ministers like Vayalar Ravi and M Veerappa Moily are expected to be present at the book launch.

Sources say that the book launch should be seen as part of a losing battle Congress was fighting against YSR Congress, led by YSR's son Jaganmohan Reddy. "Congress feels that Jaganmohan Reddy should not allowed to take credit for the work done by the YSR government in Andhra Pradesh, especially the welfare programmes launched by YSR, like 2 per kilogram of rice and Arogya Shri the health insurance scheme for the poor," said a leader. "That was part of Congress agenda and Jaganmohan Reddy had nothing to do with it," he added. That KVP Ramachandra Rao, who was YSR's advisor through much of his term and had lobbied for Jaganmohan Reddy's claim to be chief minister of Andhra Pradesh after his death, should be getting so much traction in Delhi is significant.

After watching Jaganmohan Reddy hog the limelight and the sympathy wave over YSR's untimely death in an air crash three years ago, with the Odarpu Yatra, Congress' central leadership at least seems to have decided not to throw the baby out with the bath water. At the swearing of the new Youth Congress team in Hyderabad last month, KVP Ramachandra had expressed his sadness that YSR's photograph was missing from banners adorning the hall. This was said in the presence of chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, much to his embarrassment. When some leaders complained about it to the Congress high command, it was not taken seriously. The Congress central leadership seems to find it safer to make peace with the ghost of YSR rather than trust its ineffectual leaders.