Former YSR Congress Party leader and ex-Rajya Sabha member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on YSRCP chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, alleging that the latter had no genuine love for the people of the state and that his only interest was to return to power.
Speaking to reporters in Visakhapatnam, Sai Reddy alleged that the YSRCP leadership’s professed love for the people was “fake” and said the state needed a political alternative to both the YSRCP and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
He also launched a sharp attack on former YSRCP general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, alleging that he was responsible for damaging the party and had portrayed Sai Reddy as a “wicked person” before Jagan.
“The YSRCP used me until it came to power. Subsequently, conspiracies were hatched and misinformation was spread against me, and I was sidelined within three months,” he alleged.
He criticised Jagan over his stand on Visakhapatnam and the capital issue.
According to him, the party had initially promised to develop Visakhapatnam as the state capital but later changed its position.
“Those who once said Visakhapatnam would be the capital are now talking about Mavigun. Jagan should apologise to the people for going back on his promise to develop Visakhapatnam,” he said.
Sai Reddy, however, clarified that he was not opposed to Amaravati as the state capital and that he was only questioning the YSRCP’s changing positions on the capital issue.
He also questioned whether the present YSRCP leadership would be able to secure a victory for the party in the forthcoming Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections.
The former MP also denied having any role in the alleged liquor scam and claimed that Raj Kasireddy was the “author, architect and executor” of the entire episode.
He said he had disclosed whatever information he knew about the case to the investigating authorities.
Sai Reddy said he would announce the name of his new political party shortly and subsequently undertake a padayatra across the state.
He argued that the state needed a “third alternative” to the YSRCP and TDP, alleging that both parties had effectively become family-centric political organisations.
He said his political career had given him a strong emotional attachment to North Andhra and Visakhapatnam. “I have lived in Visakhapatnam. Visakhapatnam is in my heart,” he said.
He also criticised the political dispute between the YSRCP and TDP over credit for development projects, including the airport and Google-related investments.
Referring to universities and educational institutions in Visakhapatnam, he said Andhra University remained emotionally important to him.
He also raised questions over the reported allocation of 54.79 acres of land, which he valued at around Rs 5,000 crore, to GITAM, asking how such an allocation could be justified.
