CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has no moral right to seek votes in Tirupati

Mangalagiri: Former minister and TDP politburo member Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao on Tuesday asserted that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had no right to ask for votes in Tirupati MP bypoll since he had failed to achieve Special Category Status (SCS) and bifurcation promises from the Central government.

Venkata Rao asked whether it was necessary for the people to give another MP to the YSRCP when all its 28 MPs were not able to bring pressure on the Centre for a fair deal to Andhra Pradesh. It was only out of fear for the Chief Minister's illegal assets cases that Jagan Mohan Reddy and his 28 MPs were keeping silent without pressuring the Centre for SCS, Polavaram funds and other promises.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, the TDP leader recalled how Jagan eloquently spoke at the time of the 2019 elections that the face of AP would change and its young people would get lakhs of jobs if it got SCS as per the reorganisation promise.

The Chief Minister asked for 25 out of 25 MPs from the voters in order to bend the necks of the Centre to make it concede SCS. But now, he has got 28 MPs but still unable to raise their voice on almost all promises made to AP at the time of reorganisation, he said.

The TDP leader appealed to the Tirupati voters to question the Chief Minister and the YSRCP leaders when they would come to them seeking their votes in the byelection why it was not protecting the interests of the Visakha steel plant, Kadapa steel plant, Dugarajapatnam port and Ramayapatnam port.

The Chief Minister was terrified to raise his voice in front of the Centre because of his cases, he alleged.