With the internal bickering among the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders in Nellore district, especially former Irrigation Minister P. Anil Kumar Yadav and new Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy, coming to the fore after the Cabinet reshuffle, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy summoned both the leaders to his camp office at Tadepalli on Wednesday.
According to the sources in the YSRCP, the Chief Minister heard the grievances of both the leaders during one-to-one meeting. He asked both the leaders to sink their differences in the larger interest of the party, which is scheduled to go to Assembly elections in 2024.
Cabinet rejig
The Cabinet rejig left the supporters of Mr. Anil Kumar Yadav as he could not retain the berth, while Sarvepalli MLA Kakani Govardhan Reddy was made Agriculture Minister. They alleged that Mr. Anil Kumar during his stint as a Minister did not get any cooperation from Mr. Govardhan Reddy and the former Minister even told the media that he would extend the same support to Mr. Govardhan Reddy.
Further, the supporters of Mr. Govardhan Reddy accused the followers of Mr. Anil Kumar Yadav of removing the flexis erected for the maiden visit of the Minister to the city on Tuesday after assuming the office. On the other hand, the supporters of Mr. Anil Kumar Yadav alleged that the Minister did not extend an invitation to their leader for the swearing-in ceremony. The supporters of Mr. Govardhan Reddy took out a rally during the visit of the Minister, while Mr. Anil Kumar planned a separate meeting of the YSRCP cadres in Nellore on the same day.
War of words
Meanwhile, Mr. Anil Kumar Yadav also resorted to a war of words with former Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy.
The other leaders of the ruling party also have their own grievances. YSRCP Rajya Sabha member Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy was reportedly upset over the removal of flexis put up across the city on the occasion of his birthday. He reportedly conveyed his displeasure over the turn of events to the party leadership.
Advisor to the Government (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, whose attention was drawn towards the issues by the party leaders from the district, had sought the intervention of the Chief Minister to bring about a rapprochement between the warring groups, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Govardhan Reddy, who led the party in the district to a clean sweep in the 2019 Assembly elections, held talks with the MLAs. He impressed upon them to work together to get the party closer to the people by promoting the welfare initiatives of the YSRCP government.
Nellore Rural MLA Kottamreddy Sridhar Reddy, who led a padayatra to promote the welfare initiatives of the YSRCP government, felt uneasy during the march on Wednesday. Mr. Sridhar Reddy, who was among the aspirants for a Cabinet berth, was treated for sciatica.
