Big jolt to YSRCP as Konathala quits

Visakhapatnam: The YSR Congress Party on Tuesday suffered a major setback with a former minister and late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy loyalist Konathala Ramakrishna quitting the party. He is likely to join the Congress party shortly along with his followers. There were clear signs of his quitting the YSRCP for some time.

He was believed to have met Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president and his former Cabinet colleague N Raghuveera Reddy when the latter visited the city reently. Ramakrishna was said to be very much unhappy with the party affairs for some time, particularly when his arch rival Dadi Veerabhadra Rao was admitted into the party much against his wishes.

But he continued in the party in the interests of the party. A close associate of the late YSR, he supported Jaganmohan Reddy from the moment YSR died in a helicopter crash. No wonder, he was even made a member of the political affairs committee of the party. Known to be a soft and honest political leader, Ramakrisha could easily rope in many young aspiring politicians into the YSRCP and if the party could taste some success, he certainly had worked for it. He himself refused to contest to provide opportunity for the youngsters in the elections.

After Veerabhadra Rao quit the party though his son was Dadi Ratnakar got the chance to enter politics and contest in the elections albeit unsuccessfully, Ramakrishna felt relieved. However, the shoddy treatment allegedly meted out to him by Jagan seemed to have driven him to resign from the party.

Apart from not heeding his advice, Jagan also in recent times removed Ramakrishna’s close follower and former MLA Gandi Babji from the post of party in-charge in Pendurthi.

Ramakrishna’s decision is likely to affect YSRCP badly since he is highly respected in the political circles here. Particularly because, Araku MP Kothapalli Geetha had already raised the banner of revolt a couple of months back, expressing unhappiness the way she was being treated by the YSRCP leadership.

Jagan respects all party cadres: Mopidevi

Former Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana who was in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday told reporters that the party chief Y S Jaganmohan Reddy respects each and every one in the party.

Referring to the reported resignation of party senior leader Konathala Ramakrishna, Mopidevi said it was unfortunate that a senior leader like Ramakrishna taking the decision to distance himself from the party.

He said that Ramakrishna had earlier played a key role in the party affairs and hoping the same thing in future. ‘I did not go through his resignation letter and it is purely a party’s issue which would be resolved soon by the high command’, he added.