Hyderabad:
Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's son, who quit the Congress at the end of November, has announced that he will launch a new party in 45 days.
"I will be launching a new political party in 45 days... Lakhs and lakhs of people still adore my father late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and appreciate the enormous work done by him," 37-year-old Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
The 2014 Assembly elections will be his "finals", he added.
Jagan resigned from the Congress after a 14-month-long rebellion that saw two chief ministers taking charge of Andhra Pradesh. K Rosaiah replaced Jagan's father when YSR died in a helicopter crash last year. Unable to contain Jagan's revolt, Rosaiah stepped down and was replaced by Kiran Kumar Reddy.
(Jagan's resignation letter to Sonia: Full Text) |
(Who is Jagan Mohan Reddy?)In his resignation letter sent to Sonia Gandhi, Jagan described as the "final straw" the party's "conspiracy" to cause "a vertical split" in his family - the Congress offered his uncle, Vivekananda, a post in the new Kiran Reddy cabinet, which was accepted. The move was seen as the Congress' attempt to appropriate a part of YSR's legacy, as well as to divide YSR loyalists.
(Watch: Jagan's 14-month rebellion)So far, Jagan has (at least on record) urged his followers not to quit the Andhra Pradesh Assembly to join him. He says he has no interest in destabilizing the current government.
(Blog:Jagan on the road less travelled)That's a promise he's unlikely to keep. Sources close to him say he has about 30 MLAs who are willing to work with him.
Jagan has also said that he intends to resume his Odarpu Yatra or roadshow where he visits families who expressed profound grief over his father's death. The tour was banned by his party but a defiant Jagan continued with it for months, using it as a political show of strength.