Isolated Jagan criticises Rahul for Bihar

NEW DELHI: Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy’s latest attack on the Gandhi family, this time criticising AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi for his failure to make a difference to the fortunes of the party in Bihar, is being seen in party circles as a reflection of his growing isolation in the Andhra legislature party.

Rather than being chastened by the selection of a new chief minister — a move interpreted as a rebuff to Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s leadership ambition — the latter used the Sakshi TV platform once again, to take shots at Rahul Gandhi. The channel also posed 10 questions to Chief Minister N Kiran Reddy, who has been handed the reins of the state by the Congress leadership.

“A charismatic leader is missing. In its 125-year history, Congress has never reached a nadir like now,’’ the channel said in the course of a current affairs programme telecast on Thursday. It was alluding to the party’s flop-show in Bihar where, notwithstanding the 17 public meetings addressed by Mr Gandhi all across the state to solicit support for Congress candidates, it won just 4 seats.

But the renewal of Jagan Reddy’s attack on the Congress first family is being seen as a manifestation of his shrinking support-base within the legislature party. At the CLP meeting on Wednesday, not one of the 54 Reddy MLAs voiced support for the Kadapa MP’s claims to the chief ministerial chair.

The disarray in the Jagan camp was also evident when his staunch loyalists turned up at the guest house on Thursday to meet the new chief minister at the latter’s invitation. Among those who surfaced there included former minister Konda Surekha, who had resigned from the Rosaiah cabinet in protest against the denial of chief ministership to Jagan Reddy.
Another Reddy backer, M Kavita, the MLA from Mahbubabad, too made his way to the guest house.

The Congress high command has decided against taking disciplinary against Jagan Reddy for his vituperative outbursts, contending that his rebellion was losing steam.

Sakshi TV had last week launched a diatribe against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, a move which was viewed seriously by the central leadership.