Congress MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy, who was recently detained for his controversial ‘yatra’ (rally), said he will not leave the party but is ready to quit from his Lok Sabha post.
“There is no reason why I should leave my party (Congress). If I had to leave, I would have done that immediately after my father (late Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy) died; at that time I also had sympathy of 135 MLAs,” Reddy told reporters on Monday here.
Reddy, who is in the Capital to meet Congress top brass over the ‘yatra’ controversy, said: “I respect madam (party supremo Sonia Gandhi) a lot, and have full faith in her. My intensions are clear, my mind is guilt-free, I have not done anything wrong.
“I am here (Delhi) to request the Congress to allow me continue my Odarpu Yatra. I will explain my stand behind this apolitical rally. The ‘yatra’ cannot be stopped…it’s my moral responsibility and duty to carry on with it. ”
Asked if there are chances that Congress will take action against him over this issue, Reddy said: “I don't think the party will take action against me. Why should they? I have done no wrong.”
On May 28, Reddy was taken into preventive custody by the Andhra Pradesh police, apprehending violent clashes after he refused to call off his controversial yatra (rally).
Reddy was arrested from a train at Vangapalli in Nalgonda district while he was on way to Warangal to console the family members of those who died of shock or committed suicide after his father’s death in a helicopter crash last year.
Reddy was on a yatra to meet the bereaved family members and even after his arrest, he has reportedly stated of resuming his travel at a later date.
His yatra was seen as a move to give air to the anti-Telangana lobby, of which Reddy and his late father were supporters.
Like the late chief minister, the younger Reddy is also against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and he had, along with MPs from Rayalaseema and Andhra regions, voiced their opposition to formation of Telangana state in the Parliament.
The yatra could have fuelled clashes between Reddy’s supports and pro-Telangana activists.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), Telangana Rashtra Samiti, other pro-Telangana groups, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had announced their plans to stall the yatra.
Some Congress leaders were also against Reddy’s yatra and had even reportedly got Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to ask Reddy to stop his rally.
But Reddy had decided to go ahead with the yatra, which he has now stated of resuming at a later time.
He has maintained that the yatra was not a political statement, and his detractors were trying to defame him.
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