Cong showcauses Jagan for yatra

Hyderabad,July 12: The Congress High Command on Monday reportedly issued a showcasue notice to party MP Jaganmohan Reddy for resuming his controversial 'Odarpu Yatra' in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh defying the party's directive.According to reports, Jaganmohan was slapped a showcase notice a day after he defended Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah's statement that his yatra is aimed to secure the chief ministerial post."I heard Rosaiah telling the media that I started this yatra because I am in a hurry to become the chief minister. But I am here to console the people, not asking for their votes. If we start worrying about the chief minister's chair like this, we should be ashamed of this politics," Jaganmohan said on Sunday.Rosaiah had told a news channel that Jaganmohan needs 'proper advice'."He (Jaganmohan) can dream, aspire and try for the CM's post but there is a method to try and get it," Rosaiah had said.Jaganmohan, son of former state chief minister late YS Rajashekhar Reddy, had embarked on the Yatra (rally) to console the bereaved families of those persons who died of shock on hearing the news of the sudden death of his father in a helicopter crash last year.As Jagammohan started his three-day campaign in Itchapuram town, thousands lined up on both sides of the streets and stood on rooftops to welcome him.He also unveiled a statue of his late father on his birth anniversary and paid floral tributes to him at the site where YSR ended his 68-day 'padyatra' in 2003. "I am not alone. My father has left behind such a huge family," Jaganmohan said, addressing the crowd.He, however, made no reference to the Congress leadership, which has cautioned of disciplinary action against him.Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi had on Tuesday hinted that the party could act tough against Jaganmohan if he went ahead with his Yatra."All true committed and loyal Congressmen must necessarily observe both the party dharma (party rules) and laxman rekha (limits)... "Failure to do so would perforce lead to a chain of consequences, which are best avoidable. We hope and trust that compliance will take the place of defiance," Singhvi had said.K.Roasaiah, who had assumed office as the chief minister following YSR's death, had on Wednesday asked his Cabinet colleagues and party legislators to stay away from the Yatra.He had, however, tried not to antagonise Jaganmohan, while at the same time keeping the Congress central leadership happy."The yatra should be one of condolence and not like a victory march," Rosaiah had said, adding that he was not against the Yatra, but the manner in which it was being conducted.Earlier, Jaganmohan had announced of resuming the Yatra, which he had to abandon midway in May after it led to violent clashes and he was taken into preventive custody.Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had also reportedly asked Jaganmohan to abandon the Yatra when he had called on her, but the young MP has remained adamant.
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SW Monsoon active over Telangana

Hyderabad, Jul 12 : The Southwest Monsoon has been active over Telangana with rain occurring at many places over Telangana and at a few places over coastal Andhra Pradesh while isolated rain occurred over Rayalaseema.The stations that recorded heavy rainfall in cm are Madhira 8, Jagitiyal, Kaleswaram and Metpalli 7 each, the Met Department today said.The other chief amounts of rainfall recorded in cm are Atmakur, Palasa and Venkatapuram 6 each, Araku Valley, Mahabubabad, Manthani and Sultanabad, Rajahmundry and Yellandu 5 each, Bhadrachalam, Ramagundam, Bobbili, Salur, Chinnoor, Koida, Narsipatnam, Paleru Bridge and Puttur 4 each. Moderate to rather heavy rain/thundershowers could occur at many places over Telangana and in the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari of coastal Andhra Pradesh.Light to moderate rain/thundershowers would occur at a few places over Rayalaseema and in the remaining districts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh. A spell of rain/thundershowers may occur in parts of the city.Maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 30 and 22 Degree Celsius respectively, the Met office said.
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Cracks in Andhra Congress widen as Jagan steps up attack

Hyderabad,July 12: The war within Andhra Pradesh's ruling Congress is turning bitter by the day with MP Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, directly targeting Chief Minister K.Rosaiah.

The young MP wondered why Rosaiah was afraid of losing his chair because of his 'odarpu yatra'. After making indirect attacks on the leadership for preventing ministers and legislators from accompanying him, Jagan, as he is popularly known, launched a direct attack on the veteran leader. Stating that he was not after the chief minister's post, Jagan wanted to know why Rosaiah was afraid of him. "Am I here for the odarpu yatra or for the chief minister's post," the young leader asked the crowd at Ranasthalam in Srikakulam district Sunday night. "I fail to understand why the chief minister will loose his chair because of the yatra. I also fail to understand why they are politicising it," he said. Defying the central leadership, Jagan continued his campaign for the fifth day Monday. After covering Srikakulam district, he entered East Godavari district Monday to console the families of those who died of shock following the death of his father and then chief minister in a helicopter crash in September last year. No minister or legislator joined in in Srikakulam but at least two ministers and six legislators have announced that they would join Jagan in East Godavari district. Jagan had already hit out at the leadership for not allowing ministers and legislators to join his yatra and pointed out that their family members had come out in his support. With the Kadapa MP finally getting some open support from ministers and legislators, alarm bells have started ringing in the ruling party. Ministers, legislators and party leaders loyal to Rosaiah have hit back at Jagan saying nobody was being prevented from joining his campaign. Some senior leaders have accused him of damaging the party through his yatra. Worried over the impact the open wrangling is having on the government, some senior cabinet ministers, who were loyal to late chief minister Rajasekhara Reddy, began efforts for a truce between Jagan and Rosaiah.
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Andhra Pradesh role model in development of remote, interior areas: CM

Hyderabad, Jul 11 : Ahead of the internal security meet called by the Centre at New Delhi on July 14 as apart of its multi prong strategy to tackle the Maoist and insurgency problems in the country, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah today asserted the State was a ''role model'' for the development of remote and interior areas, having allocated nearly Rs 15,000 crore for rural areas development this year.He said Andhra Pradesh topped the country in engaging the rural poor, women and youth in gainful economic activity through various popular schemes like MGNREGA, 'Pavala Vaddi', and Self Help Groups (SHG) and achieved large scale employment generation and food security in rural areas. He said a huge sum of Rs 3842 crore has been earmarked for rural development in the state during the current year to promote roads, drinking water, housing, employment generation and comprehensive development of lands of rural poor. An amount of Rs 8,892 crore was being spent on NREGP, to provide employment to 2.75 crore labourers in rural areas, particularly in remote and tribal areas.The Chief Minister said the state government was also set up a Remote Area Development Board (RADB) with a corpus of Rs 538 crore. ''Under the scheme, it was proposed to extentd Rs 5000 to each Tribal farmer family to develop his lands. The state government distributed the funds so that the land could be brought under cultivation and become his livelihood source''. Dr Rosaiah said the centre considers Andhra Pradesh a role model in promotion of welfare and development activities in tribal and remote areas and has successfully brought the rural youth on to the main stream of nation building activities.
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