Confidence led Jagan to power

PNS|Vijayawada

Tenacity, determination, abundance of self-confidence and ample leadership quality have helped Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh after overcoming many hurdles and crises. Jagan has successfully overcome many challenges and crises including incurring the wrath of Congress high command, going to prison, facing CBI cases, quitting the Congress and defeat in 2014 elections. He has learnt lessons from every crisis and polished his skills. Spending 16 months in prison in corruption cases or the defeat in the 2014 elections did not make him disheartened. Each failure and crisis taught him lessons and helped to gain political experience.

Though Jagan Mohan Reddy entered politics in the combined AP State with the blessings of his father, the then Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, his political career plummeted after the death of his father in a helicopter crash.

Despite Jagan Reddy being elected to Lok Sabha from Kadapa constituency, he did not intend to take part in politics actively as he was interested in business. However, the death of Rajasekhar Reddy changed the political career of Jagan Reddy.

Senior leaders say that Jagan Reddy wanted to become Chief Minister immediately after his father’s death and they took up signature campaigns in this regard. However, the then AICC president Sonia Gandhi did not consider the candidature of Jagan Reddy for CM’s post and nominated K Rosaiah. Irate over the Congress’s high command’s decision, Jagan Reddy launched ‘Oodarpu Yatra’ to console the bereaved families of those who committed suicides unable to digest the untimely death of Rajasekhar Reddy.

The Congress high command took his Oodarpu Yatra seriously and instructed him to stop the same. Jagan met Sonia Gandhi along with his mother Vijaya Lakshmi and made a vain bid to convince her.
Finally, Jagan quit the Congress, launched the YSRCP and continued the Oodarpu Yatra. Meanwhile, a Congress leader filed a petition in the High Court seeking a probe into Jagan’s corrupt deeds and the HC ordered a CBI probe. The CBI arrested him and Jagan was in the prison for 16 months.

After being freed on bail, Jagan faced many challenges politically. At the same time, the bifurcation issue rocked the combined AP State. The Jagan-led YSRCP opposed bifurcation vehemently, but the State was divided.

After his defeat in the 2014 elections, Jagan engaged Prasanth Kishore as election strategist. He took out a marathon Padayatra, which made him the messiah of masses as he received an overwhelming response. Creating a record, the Jagan Reddy-led YSRCP won 151 MLA seats in the 2019 elections. Jagan declared the manifesto as holy as Bagawat Gita, Bible and the Quran and has been implementing it.

Now, Jagan is facing unforeseen turbulence in the form of family dispute as his younger sister Y S Sharmila had differences with him which forced her to launch a new political party in Telangana State. Significantly, his mother Y S Vijaya Lakshmi also quit from the honorary president post of the YSRCP. Adding to his woes, Andhra Pradesh is facing an unprecedented financial crisis and debts have crossed the limits.

The biggest political challenge before Jagan is to resolve the financial crisis and lead the State on the development path. “Jagan Mohan Reddy is a capable leader and he has gained a lot of political experience during the last 10 years. He will definitely bring the State out of the financial crisis and turn AP into one of the fastest growing States,” a ruling party leader said.