Warangal tense ahead of YS Jagan's condolence yatra

Hyderabad: Even as Congress member of  Parliament from Kadapa YS Jaganmohan Reddy was bent upon going ahead with his “Odarpu Yatra” (condolence tour) in Warangal district on Friday, situation in the district has reached a boiling point.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti and several other parties including pro Telangana group of Congress party have warned Jagan against pressing ahead with his tour and police found a time bomb with ten kgs of explosives in the bus stand of Mahboobabad, the starting point of proposed tour of Jagan.

Police said that a bucket full of explosives attached with a timer was found on platform No 4 in Mahboobabad. As soon it was spotted police got the bus stand vacated and a bomb disposal unit rushed to defuse the bomb. Police also recovered letter, purportedly written by an unheard organization Telangana Liberation Army threatening that if Jagan goes ahead with his tour, his entire convoy will be blasted with explosives tomorrow.

Following the development, security was further tightened in Mahboobabad and other places in the district.

Jagan, who has under taken similar visit of coastal Andhra and Rayala Seema, intends to condole the families whose members died of shock after the death of Jagan’s father YS Rajasekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash on September 1.

Jagan’s supporters have identified seven such families in Warangal district. But ever since the Warangal visit was planned it is facing strong opposition from Telangana supporters because Jagan has come out openly against the formation of Telangana state.

Telangana supporters rising above the party affiliations have warned that they will stop and disrupt the yatra. Many from with the Congress have also come out against Yatra.

Five Congress MPs from Telangana including Rajaiah of Warangal met the AICC general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh affairs and urged him that the party should stop Jagan from going ahead with Yatra as it will send a wrong signal to Telangana people. Moily refused to make any comment.

But in Hyderabad the Chief Minister K Rsoaiah said that the party high command has not granted permission to the Yatra. He said police will act according to the law in the matter of allowing Yatra. In Warangal, superintendent of police Shahnawaz Qasim said that no body has so far applied for permission for the Yatra.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrasekhara Rao has warned that if Jagan undertakes the Yatra it will create a war like situation and worsen the situation in entire Telangana. Local units of TDP, BJP and various other organizations were also opposed to the Yatra

The Joint Action committees of Osmania University and Kakatiya University have threatened to lay a siege of Warangal if Jagan comes there.

There was also a flurry of activity in the state government and the Congress party underlining that Jagan’s Yatra had created a difficult situation for the leadership.

Chief Minister held separate meetings with the state Congress president D Srinivas and several ministers. Sources said that the dominant feeling in the party was that Jagan should put off his visit.

Home Minister Sabita Indra Reddy and agriculture minister N Raghuveera Reddy, both YSR loyalists met Jagan to persuade him to cancel the visit but Jagan did not respond to their request.

On the other hand Jagan loyalists, specially the former minister from Warangal Konda Surekha said that Yatra will definitely take place and no body will be able to stop it. She urged Jagan not to put off it saying it will cause embarrassment to his supporters.