A dinner meeting to be organised by former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s wife Vijayamma with associates of her late husband in politics and bureaucrats who worked closely with him on September 2 has become a hot topic in politics.
Ms. Vijayamma personally called up all the invitees, expected to be more than a hundred, for the meeting at Novotel - HICC to mark the twelfth death anniversary of Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
She reportedly conveyed to them that the meeting had nothing to do with politics as it was supposed to be a get together of her husband’s colleagues in party and government on a solemn occasion.
But sources said the timing of the event gave rise to speculation that it could not have been without some political significance.
For, the YSR Telangana Party was launched by her daughter Sharmila on July 8 which was the birth anniversary of Rajasekhara Reddy, and now, the death anniversary was also to be observed with different political colour.
Sources added that many of the politicians who were in the government led by Reddy are now in TRS.
So, it is possible that they might not turn up.
The invitation was extended by Ms. Vijayamma personally over phone to all leaders, mainly in TRS and Congress.
A close friend of Reddy, K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao, Minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy and TRS leaders like V. Sunita Laxma Reddy, K.R. Suresh Reddy and D. Srinivas, Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, former Ministers T. Jeevan Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and even a few leaders in film industry were among those invited.
The meeting, it was said, might have been got up to strengthen YSR Telangana Party as it is still fledgling. The party had mainly focussed on unemployment in the State with Ms. Sharmila herself participating in protests at some villages.
The party had also threatened to back nominations by hundreds of unemployed contestants in Huzurabad Assembly byelection.
Ms. Sharmila claimed herself to be the true heir of YSR’s legacy though the Congress even now observes his birth and death anniversaries as he was in the party till the end.
