The meeting convened by Y S Vijayamma, widow of former chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, to commemorate her husband’s 12th death anniversary in Hyderabad on Thursday can be considered a success in terms of the turnout of the crowds.
But going by the version of some media persons, who were present at the the YSR Samsarana Sabha (YSR memorial meeting) at HICC, there were not many leaders who were erstwhile colleagues of the departed leader at the meeting.
Only a few leaders like YSR’s close family friend K V P Ramachandra Rao, loyalist Vundavalli Arun Kumar, former Andhra PCC chief N Raghuveera Reddy, Telangana Congress MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, former MP K M Khan, former BJP MP A P Jitender Reddy and former MLA Kuna Srisailam Goud and a few prominent personalities like Varaprasad Reddy of Shanta Biotech attended the meeting.
Even film personalities like Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna, who were invited for the meeting, did not make it, while yesteryear’s hero Krishna and popular hero-cum-producer M Mohan Babu sent their messages paying tributes to YSR.
Interestingly, even media persons holding prominent positions in Sakshi media house, who were beneficiaries of YSR when he was alive, have conveniently avoided attending the meeting.
Of course, senior journalist K Ramachandra Murthy, who was with Sakshi in the past and later advisor to the Andhra Pradesh government till recently, was among a few journalists who made it to the YSR memorial meeting.
The major reason for many of the invitees, particularly political leaders, skipping the meeting, according to sources, was its political overtones. While the meeting was projected as a memorial meeting to pay tributes to YSR, it ended up as a political meeting with criticism on the K Chandrasekhar Rao government in Telangana.
Vijayamma used the occasion to appeal to the people to bless her daughter in bringing Rajanna Rajyam in Telangana. Sharmila, too, vowed to bring back the glory of her late father’s regime in Telangana.
So, the purpose of Vijayamma holding the meeting was evident: to showcase Sharmila as a potential political force in Telangana who can carry forward the legacy of late YSR.
Since her son Jagan Mohan Reddy is already striving to herald a welfare state envisioned by his father in Andhra Pradesh, Vijayamma wants to fulfil the same in Telangana through her daughter!