The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Jagan ‘reaches out’ to masses

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Saturday, Sep 26, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Jagan ‘reaches out’ to masses

M. Rajeev

Huge turnout at YSR memorial meet

All-religion prayer meet held to pay homage
Jagan hints he will continue his father’s legacy

ATMAKUR (Kurnool district): A visit by Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy to the site of the helicopter crash where his father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was killed and an all-religion prayer meeting to pay homage to the departed leader here on Friday were dwarfed by the massive turnout of people from far and near.

The 36-year-old MP remained silent on the churning within the Andhra Pradesh Congress in the last three weeks on the demand that he should take over the reins. Yet, he dropped enough hints in his 15-minute long address at his maiden public meeting after his father’s death that he would continue the legacy of Rajasekhara Reddy.

There was an air of expectancy among people in the mammoth crowd at Nallakaluva, about five km from here, that far exceeded the expectations of the organisers.

Youth egg him on

The youth, in particular, egged him to speak something about the issue of his stepping into his father’s shoes. The noise reached a crescendo when Muslim and Christian clergy prayed for making Mr. Jagan the Chief Minister.

Congress leaders claimed to have succeeded in sending across a clear signal about the unwavering support of the masses that Rajasekhara Reddy’s family enjoyed. People came in droves from Chittoor, Anantapur, Guntur, Mahabubnagar, apart from Kurnool and adjoining Kadapa districts. The road leading to Atmakur was choked with vehicles which were stranded for hours.

Mr. Jagan, whose mannerisms seemed to match those of his father, subtly outlined his road map by exhorting the people to join hands with him in carrying forward the programmes launched by his father.

“I have lost my father. But Rajasekhara Reddy has left behind a very big family that needs to be taken care of,” he said.

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