Jagan Mohan Reddy's absence from political scene may check rebellion

NEW DELHI: Jagan Mohan's arrest by the CBI over corruption coincides with the Congress's game plan to hem in the rebellious Reddy, a desperate bid to sort out the state unit which plunged into chaos after the death of its mascot YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Congressmen hope that Jagan's arrest will take away two major advantages of the fledgling YSR Congress - the young rebel's leadership and his resources. In the immediate term, it could serve as a reminder to party fence-sitters in the assembly who may be tempted to bolt if Jagan sweeps the by-elections, as the Congress feedback suggests, and put the state government at risk.

The overlapping of Congress's interest and CBI's action is sure to raise questions about the premier agency's autonomy, a sore issue with the opposition which has been raised by sworn rivals like BSP and Samajwadi Party. Jagan himself has called the case a "Congress conspiracy".

AICC spokesman Rashid Alvi dismissed the allegations leveled by YSR Congress, calling Jagan's arrest a "legal process" with "law taking its own course".

Unmindful of rivals crying foul, a rudderless Congress state unit thinks Jagan's arrest presents the best chance to stymie his rise which has threatened to turn the bipolar state into a genuine three-party polity.

The young, resourceful leader's prolonged absence from the political scene could endanger the stability of a typical one-man party surviving on its chief's untiring campaign.

Jagan's high-stake game to paint Congress as betraying YSR's legacy has attracted support in Coastal and Rayalaseema regions at the expense of his parent party.

The prospect of graft cases freezing Jagan's massive assets and putting the fear of crackdown on his sympathizers has added to the optimism.