The Congress party's Core Group met on Thursday to discuss the succession issue in Andhra Pradesh with supporters of Jaganmohan Reddy stepping up their campaign for his anointment as chief minister citing such practices in regional parties.
Eleven of the 33 party MPs from Andhra Pradesh met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is expected to go to Hyderabad sometime later for resolving the issue, and put up their case that late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's son should be given the top job in the state. There was no official word on what the core group discussed but it was believed to have gone over various options against the backdrop of reports that the Jagan camp was getting restive and was not cooperating the interim Chief Minister K Rosaiah.
K V P Ramachandra Rao, adviser to the late YSR and one who is seen as sponsoring the campaign for Jaganmohan, also met senior leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel and Veerappa Moily, who is incharge of the Congress affairs in Andhra Pradesh.
Reliable sources in the Jaganmohan camp said that the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh was virtually a regional party and so should follow the practice of anointing the son of a leader as a successor to chief ministership. The Jagan camp maintained that YSR was the architect of Congress revival five years ago, when the party was down in the dump for 13 years and the repetition of the success in this year's elections was wholly on account of his popularity.
"There is nothing in the Congress that prevents a son from taking over from his father if the elected representatives and the people wish," the sources said. Rao is believed to have told Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other leaders that the party should "look at the atmosphere" of support to Jaganmohan in the party and among the people.
They claimed that there was not a single voice of opposition in the state which is against making Jaganmohan Reddy as the CM of the state. However, YSR's detractors have told the party that action should be taken against the Ministers, who were not cooperating with Rosaiah.
When pointed out that there was no precedence in the Congress in States where the son of a chief minister succeeded him, the sources said the situation in the state was entirely different and it should be seen in the context of the tragic death, natural emotional outburst of the people and a natural choice.
To a query whether the Congress would split in case Jaganmohan is not installed as the next CM of the state, the sources said there was no question of split in the party. "In a democratic set up, the will of the elected representatives, who represent the people prevails. In Andhra also, this would prevail," he said.
The Jagan camp claimed that a number of people had died following the tragic death of YSR and asked, "Can anybody induce heart attacks. It is a natural outburst of emotions." The party leaders, campaigning for making Jaganmohan as CM, have compiled a data of suicides and deaths and also a survey by a TV channel on why Jaganmohan is the only choice, to the top party leadership.
Meanwhile, Rosaiah and the Congress Legislature Party in Hyderabad sought put a united face, saying there was no dissidence by Ministers. Rao, who has been camping in the Capital for the last four days to meet with party leadership, will be leaving for Hyderabad on Friday to participate in the all-religion condolence meeting for YSR. Apart from Rao, former APCC chief K Keshav Rao, a known detractor of YSR, met Patel at his residence.
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