Mopidevi's arrest may affect Cong prospects

Hyderabad:The aftermath of the arrest of the Minister for Excise, Mopidevi Venkataramana, has left the Congress poll managers perplexed. They have been nervously admitting it as ill-timed. They began projecting an alarming picture about their own party prospects in the by polls.

Mopidevi is an emerging leader from the fishermen community that has a predominant presence in Nellore parliamentary constituency as well as the Assembly constituencies along the coast line. It will make some difference in Prathipadu and Macharla Assembly constituencies in Guntur district.

There were reports of voilence, protest by Mopidevi's followers in his native Repalle constituency. Fishermen community, to which the minister belongs, also launched protests in Guntur, Krishna, Prakasam, Nellore and Godavari districts.

Despite prima facie evidence against him, the arrest of a minister from the backward classes at this juncture would not bode well for the party, said a senior leader who came out in defence of Mopidevi even when his name figured in the ACB case against the liquor syndicates.

Some of the Ministers from the backward classes had sympathized with Mopidevi . They said they were pained by the arrest of a minister from their classes. The BC Samkshema Sangham President R Krishnaiah blamed the CBI for choosing a BC minister to arrest in Jagan's assets case.

He questioned as to why the CBI hesitated to touch the influential ministers from the higher echelons of the society despite the fact that they were more involved.

If the BC communities own up the minister, it would certainly cast shadow on the prospects of the Congress Party in the crucial round of by 'polls.

Arrest of a minister would amount to admitting his involvement. He is one of the six ministers who were served notices by the Supreme Court in connection with their role in issuance of the controversial GOs allegedly favouring Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.

More such arrests may be in the offing and it could be obligatory for the CBI for reaching out to the YSR Congress Party chief accused of having disproportionate assets.

The Ministers who had larger say in the matters of the administration in the regime of YS Rajasekhar Reddy were also alarmed by the way Mopidevi landed behind the bars. It will have its bearing on their election campaign. It has already had a dampening effect on their spirits.

While reactions at Hyderabad level were muted, the street protests by supporters of Mopidevi in a few coastal towns indicate that the feelings may snowball in the coming days, harming the poll prospects of Congress.