Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday dared former Congress MP Jagan Mohan Reddy to bring down his government and made it clear that he was not at the mercy of Mr Jagan Mohan, though he did concede that the participation of MLAs and MPs in Mr Jagan Mohan’s programmes was embarrassing to him and the party.
Addressing the media in the national capital, Mr K.K. Reddy said, “No one is at anyone’s mercy here. I’m not at anybody’s mercy. Everyone who is here is at the mercy of the Congress party.” Rejecting Mr Jagan Mohan’s allegation that the Congress high command had humiliated his family, the CM said, “No injustice from Congress party has ever been done to him or his family. We are very clear that Madam Gandhi has got a very special place and liking towards Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR, Jagan Mohan’s late father) and she had encouraged him. That is the reason for his growth as a leader in the state.”
Questioning Mr Jagan Mohan’s credentials, Mr Reddy said, “What is the service of anyone to the Congress party? His service to the party is for one year, from the 2009 elections. There are people elected from ’72. I am MLA from ’89... last 20 years. So, Congress has not done any injustice to anyone. The Congress has given an MP ticket to Jagan... made madam, Mrs Reddy, MLA. The other brother, who is now a minister, was made MLC.”