Hyderabad/New Delhi: Alleging a conspiracy to split the family of late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, his son Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Monday resigned from the Congress and from parliament. Jagan's mother Vijayalaxmi also quit the party as well as her Andhra Pradesh assembly seat.
Fourteen months after Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) died in a helicopter crash, Jaganmohan Reddy, popularly known as Jagan, resigned from both the party and parliament, saying he had been suffering humiliation in silence. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari, however, told reporters in the national capital that he has no "information on the matter so far".
The office of the Lok Sabha speaker also said there was no "official intimation about Jagan's resignation" from parliament.
In a hard hitting letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Jagan said attempts were made to send him out and damage his father's image.
The Kadapa MP, however, appealed to his followers among the party's state legislators not to resign.
"I am writing this letter to you with a very heavy heart and deep anguish. I have been suffering humiliation in silence during the last 14 months. A malicious campaign was being unleashed against me, my family and lastly against my late father and a great leader of masses Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy," said the five-page open letter.
"Though I have been observing utmost restraint, concerted efforts were being made to send me out and dim my late father's image and prestige. But, the last straw was the conspiracy that is being hatched to vertically split the family of the great leader who brought back the Congress party to power in Andhra Pradesh twice."
Alleging that he and his family were insulted by the party on several occasions since the death of his father, Jagan said he had no other option.
"Why all this? What is the sin I have committed? Why this animosity against my family and myself? Why efforts are being made to blur my late father's image? Did I commit anything wrong? What is it?" he asked.
"My father had dedicated his life for the party. But, my family is in a situation created by these forces with the blessings of the party high command and we have no option but to leave the party," he said.
"My mother Viyalaxmi and myself have decided to resign from the primary membership of the Congress party. My mother Vijayalaxmi is resigning from the member of legislative assembly post and I am resigning as the member of parliament post," he wrote.
Jagan assured Sonia Gandhi that he would not make any attempt to topple the government.
Claiming that 150 MLAs had supported him to succeed his father, Jagan said he still respected her decision and supported candidature of K. Rosaiah as the chief minister.
"As recently as a few days ago, when you wanted to replace Rosaiah with N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, did I not cooperate for the smooth conduct of the Congress Legislature Party meeting? Is it also a mistake?" he asked.
Jagan said he was shocked over "eye wash" investigation into the death of his father. "The people of the state, including me, have doubts over the helicopter crash which caused the unfortunate demise of my father," he said.
Jagan was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kadapa in 2009 elections while Jagan's mother Vijayalaxmi was elected unopposed from Pulivendula constituency, also in Kadapa district, in December last year following YSR's death.
Since after his father's death, Jagan has been running a defiant campaign since the leadership turned down his claim to the chief minister's post.
Jagan was desperate after his uncle Y.S.Vivekananda Reddy began lobbying for a ministerial post in Kiran Kumar Reddy's cabinet and close family friend K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao also distanced himself.
Rao, a member of the Rajya Sabha and a close friend of the late YSR, has now moved closer to the central leadership. On the direction of Kiran Kumar Reddy, he resigned late Sunday as the advisor to the state government.