Cong, TD busy protecting their flocks

HYDERABAD: A day after Congress lawmakers Sabbam Hari and Alla Nani carried lunch to Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy during his questioning by the CBI, another Congress MLA, Sujaya Krishna Ranga Rao (Bobbili), went to the YSR Congress leader's house to hold his mother's hand at "this critical hour."

As Hari and Nani did on Friday, Ranga Rao made no secret of his cross-party loyalty. After meeting Y S Vijayalakshmi at Jagan's Lotus Pond residence Saturday, he spoke to reporters and said he had met the lady to comfort her as her family was in 'trouble'.

He felt he owed it to her as he had made an MLA by the late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

For now, Ranga Rao said he would continue in the Congress, but would abide by the wishes of his constituents in Bobbili constituency if required to switch loyalties.

When the MLA landed at Shamshabad airport Saturday morning to undertake the visit to Lotus Pond, several Congress leaders were waiting to persuade him not to go.

Among the avid persuaders was a brother of chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. They could not stop Ranga Rao.

The Jagan factor is creating ripples in the Congress and TDP. Speculation is rife that several more Congress legislators like Dwarampudi Chandrasekhara Reddy (Kakinada), Jogi Ramesh (Pedana), Perni Nani (Machilipatnam), Savarapu Jayamani (Parvatipuram) and Jayasudha (Secunderabad) may soon jump ship.

They had all been proximate to the Kadapa MP before the no-confidence vote against the Kiran Kumar government was defeated in December.

Jagan Mohan Reddy told a TV channel Saturday that he has been getting feelers from several leaders from both Congress and TDP.

YSRC sources said the party has prepared a Chinese toruture strategy against the Big Two parties: it would winkle out one legislator a day from either of the two parties in the coming days.

Camp managers in the ruling and opposition parties intensified their efforts to keep their flocks together.

In the Congress, chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana had several confabulations on the telephone and discussed ways of cajoling disgruntled MLAs who are likely to cross the fence.

If inducements don't work, the Congress duo plan to get tough. Accordingly, the chief minister met Kantheti Satyanarayana Raju, the chairman of the PCC Investigation and Examination Committee on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters later, Raju said the PCC would serve a show-cause notice on Alla Nani Monday and complain against MP Sabbam Hari to the high command urging disciplinary action.

Botsa too met party seniors at Gandhi Bhavan and discussed the possible desertions. He is believed to have said that the YSRCP leadership had been trying to lure away as many as 30 legislators in the past several months.

'Of the targeted 30 legislators, 20 have crossed the fence so far. So we are trying our best to persuade the remainder to stay,' sources quoted Botsa as saying.

TDP chief Naidu, campaigning in Guntur, also took stock of the situation in his party in the aftermath of M V Mysoora Reddy's defection to the YSRC. He conducted a teleconference with party seniors.