Over a period of time, YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has mastered the art of delivering comic punches at his political rivals – whether it is Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu or Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan.
It was only the other day that Jagan indirectly gave a punch to Pawan saying that “some big leaders are not satisfied with one wife or two wives. They want three or even four wives.”
On Wednesday, it was the turn of Naidu to face the punch from Jagan.
He knows that the TDP president never acknowledges Nandamuri Lakshmi Parvati as his mother-in-law, though she got legally married to legendary actor and TDP founder N T Rama Rao. For Naidu, only late Nandamuri Basavarama Tarakam was his mother-in-law.
Intervening in the debate during the question hour on giving most of the nominated posts to Reddy community, Jagan reaffirmed that Andhra Pradesh was the only State in the country to provide reservations for SC, ST, BC, Minorities and Women in nominated posts and the same will be followed in Corporation Chairperson posts as well.
He gave a list of women leaders appointed as chairpersons for various corporations and the nominated posts.
“We gave a post even to Naidu’s mother-in-law Nandamuri Lakshmi Parvathi. He did not give her any post despite being his son-in-law,” Jagan said amidst laughter.
The chief minister brushed aside the allegations of nepotism in appointing Corporation Chairpersons, Advisors, CEOs and other nominated posts and said that there are about 160 more posts which would be filled up after the ensuing panchayat elections.
On the advisor posts where reservations were not followed, Jagan said the advisor post is of temporary nature and they are taken for their excellence in their respective fields. There need not be any affiliations or motives attached as they are experts in their chosen fields, he said.