ANANTAPUR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi praised slain chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy as an inspiration and role model for him, and that the inspiration for the Bharat Jodo Yatra came from the YSR Padayatra.
“YSR’s padayatra was aimed at understanding the problems of the people first-hand at all levels. That was my aim too. Rajasekhar Reddy and my father Rajiv Gandhi shared brotherly feelings between them. YSR showed the way not only for AP but the entire country during his rule,” Rahul Gandhi recalled at an election meeting.
As part of the Congress campaign for APCC chief Y.S. Sharmila, contesting from Kadapa LS, Rahul Gandhi arrived at Idupulapaya in Pulivendula assembly segment on Saturday and offered tributes at the Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy Ghat. He was accompanied by Sharmila and K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao.
Rahul Gandhi later shared the video of him offering tributes to YS Rajasekhar Reddy at Idupulapaya on social media platform X and recalled the attachment between his father and Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.
Later, Rahul Gandhi reached Kadapa district headquarters and addressed a public meeting. He took a swipe at Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, TD chief Chandrababu Naidu and JS leader Pawan Kalyan, branding them the “B team” of the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi said, “The People of AP are clear that the YSR ideology was never to stand by the BJP's side. But Jagan Mohan Reddy is unable to utter a single word against the BJP because of the corruption cases he is facing,” he alleged.
“For all these three parties, the remote control is in the hands of Narendra Modi. Because Narendra Modi has CBI, ED, Income Tax department in his hands, he keeps browbeating them.”
Reacting to the inclusion of Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s name in a charge sheet, Rahul Gandhi made it clear that the Congress had no role in including the name in the list of the corrupt. Some others did it, he said.
He reiterated that the Congress is committed to complete Polavaram, the steel plant initiative and grant special category status for AP.
