Cong mulling a Reddy CM to stop Jaganaut? Bad Choice by congress high command

Independent Media

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 

LEADERS ON CONG RADAR: Speaker Kiran Kumar Reddy, ministers Geeta Reddy, Ramnarayana Reddy and Sabita Indra Reddy

Hyderabad: The Congress high command, caught between a mild-mannered chief minister K Rosaiah and an aggressive Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, is believed to be working on a grand design to stave off the looming menace to its authority. Central to this plan is the induction of a Reddy chief minister if the Jagan threat continues. 

With the Congress in the state being perceived as a Reddy dominated party, the thinking is that a Reddy alone can act as a counter balance to the growing clout of Jagan. “Reddys by and large are with the party. This is the only group which is numerically strong, cohesive and the party can bank on it for support, financial or otherwise. At present, Reddys alone can lead the party to victory,” said a senior party leader. 

Since there is no visible top Reddy leader around save for Union minister Jaipal Reddy, the party is looking towards the second rung Reddy leadership, who are relatively less controversial and have the potential to lead the party. Sources say that the central party has identified half-adozen people with the potential to become alternative leaders. Top in the list are speaker N Kiran Kumar Reddy (from Rayalaseema) and cabinet minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy (from coastal Andhra), and cabinet spokesperson Geeta Reddy. Of these, Kiran Kumar Reddy and Geeta Reddy are in constant touch with the high command. 

According to sources, the high command considered Kiran Kumar Reddy’s name for the CM’s post soon after YSR’s death. 

He was even asked to rush back to Delhi from his foreign tour. An alumni of Hyderabad Public School and son of a former Congress minister, he is in his late forties and thus has age on his side. 

Geeta Reddy who hails from Telangana is a Dalit married to a Reddy. Of late, Geeta Reddy, fluent in English and Urdu, has become closer to the central leadership. “Making her the CM would please Dalits, Reddys and women,” a Congressman said. 

Even though none of them is a match to Jagan in pulling crowds, the party thinks that these leaders could certainly work as shock absorbers for Delhi in the wake of the turbulence generated by him. 

Sources said that off late home minister Sabita Indra Reddy too appears to be in the reckoning for the top job. Although from Telangana and with good organisational abilities her lack of fluency in English or Hindi could prove her stumbling block.