Former Congress MP from Rajahmundry and self-styled intellectual Vundavalli Arun Kumar has a word of caution for YSR Congress party and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in the selection of party candidates for contesting the upcoming elections in the state.
Speaking to reporters, Vundavalli said no politician is willing to make any sacrifices in his or her career.
“Nobody will join politics without expecting a post or position. He will not make any sacrifices for others,” he said.
Stating that a party president needs a lot of experience and guts to deny the ticket to any sitting MLA, Vundavalli said he did not think Jagan had gained such an experience.
“He cannot change the candidates according to his whims and fancies. It will cause damage to the party,” he said.
The former MP regretted that in Andhra Pradesh, the ruling party MLAs had no powers at all.
“The power is concentred in the hands of Jagan, his coterie and at the grassroots level, village volunteers. They cannot decide the victory of the candidates,” he said.
He also found fault with Jagan for resorting to indiscriminate borrowings in the name of welfare schemes.
“Nowhere have I seen that the government takes loans to distribute money to the people in the name of welfare schemes,” he said.
Vundavalli also criticised YSRC general secretary V Vijay Sai Reddy for making derogatory comments against first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru.
“Former chief minister and Jagan’s father late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy had a lot of reverence for Pandit Nehru. Now, Sai Reddy had the audacity to attack Nehru in Parliament,” he regretted.