Andhra: Botcha told to burst Jagans balloon

HYDERABAD: With Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy getting ready to flex his muscles in the Odarpu Yatra beginning June 20 in Anantapur district, PCC president Botcha Satyanarayana is keen on taking the wind out of the MP’s sails by preventing Congress MLAs and party workers from attending the show of strength.There are two Congress MLAs from Anantapur district who are with Jagan -- Ramachandra Reddy (Rayadurgam) and B gurunatha Reddy (Ananatpur). Two ministers -- N Raghuveera Reddy and S Shailajanath -- and six legislators are loyal to the party.Satyanarayana met the two ministers and six MLAs in his chambers at Secretariat and sought ideas on how to dent Jagan’s yatra. According to one MLA who attended the meeting, they told him to consider the idea of organising a rival programme to prevent party workers from flocking to Jagan. Though the PCC president did not say yes or no, he appeared interested.Before conferring with the MLAs and ministers, Satyanarayana had dropped hints to media personnel that he was preparing a dossier on MLAs who are either covertly or overtly lending support to Jagan Mohan Reddy and that he would submit it to Speaker N Manohar and press for their disqualification. Interestingly, even as Satyanarayana is planning action against Jagan loyalist MLAs, Parakal MLA Konda Surekha dared chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to expel her from Congress while participating in a dharna in Warangal.As there are four petitions before the speaker for disqualification of MLAs G Srikath Reddy, A Amarnath Reddy, C Adinarayana Reddy and Surekha, the PCC chief wants the process to come to a logical conclusion before moving in with the dossier.