Jagan's gain is Botsa's pain - TeluguPeople.com News

Hyderabad: Ever since 27 Congress legislators owing allegiance to YSR Congress chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy resigned in expression of solidarity to him on August 22, Pradesh Congress President Botsa Satyanarayana was on only one mission.

Try to win them back into the Congress fold or if they remain intractable, let their resignations be accepted. In fact, he wants the latter option pursed by the party central leadership since it would give him an opportunity to grow as a tall leader if he ensures Congress nominees win a majority of the seats in the by-elections.

From the day the Congress MLAs put in their papers, he was of the opinion that the party should accept their resignations. He sees no problem in getting the new nominees elected as he has now Chiranjeevi to bank on. 'The J-camp MLAs have no chance of winning the by-polls what with the new awakening among people against corruption,' Satyanarayana said.

But Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and the party leadership in Delhi are not so confident that in the by-elections, the Congress would be able to retain the seats. This was one reason why the party leadership wanted decision on their resignations delayed and back channel efforts initiated to win them back.

This has in fact worked to some extent, with at least half a dozen of the MLAs who had resigned, having second thoughts and some of them even reportedly interceded with the speaker not to accept their resignations. They appear to have developed cold feet in staying with Jagan for two reasons.

One: there is no guarantee that Jagan would field them in the by-elections and secondly, even if he nominates them, there is no guarantee that they would win the seats with his image having been battered with the CBI intensifying the investigation into his wealth.

While this was going on, Jagan's visit to Delhi in the second week of September to garner support for himself has changed the political kaleidoscope.

After he failed to get support from the Opposition leaders, Jagan made a statement that he would not mind supporting UPA which made the political analysts wonder if he was in fact sending a message to the Congress that he could be managed in return for slowing down of the investigation by the CBI into his riches.

Though CBI officials deny any slowing of the investigation into Jagan's assets, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said the investigation has already lost much of its steam after his Delhi visit and the explanation for it is simple:

Jagan's mission to Delhi was to buy peace with the Congress high command which he did as his financial empire was breaking up with the CBI investigation getting to the bottom of his riches and his image taking a severe beating every day.

TDP leaders cite Jagan's post-Delhi visit rhetoric during his 'Odarpu Yatra' which has just concluded in Krishna district losing much of its punch when it comes to attacking the Congress and Sonia Gandhi.

They argue that Jagan has conveniently forgotten to corner the Congress central leadership and was now pouncing more on TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, though theirs is an opposition party.

Even though there is a imperceptible sign of thawing of relations between Jagan and the Congress party high command, Botsa is pouncing on Jagan at every opportunity since it is the only way for him to prove that he is a state level leader.