For Jagan and Naidu, home is where the ego is

V V Balakrishna
Last Updated : 13 Nov 2011 11:34:28 AM IST

HYDERABAD: The political rivalry between the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu was legendary. Now, a couple of years after the demise of YSR, the battle still rages on with the late leader’s son and YSR Congress chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy

Stepping into the shoes of his father in this seemingly never-ending saga. If anything, the rivalry has taken a more personal turn.

The latest twist in this continuing drama came with Naidu accusing Jagan of having palatial buildings at several places in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Sakshi, the vernacular owned by Jagan, hit back with a story on the former Chief Minister’s house in the posh Jubilee Hills area in Hyderabad with a very hard-hitting headline: Abaddhala Babu Address Idi (This is the address of liar Babu).

Not one to take it lying down, Naidu’s TDP threw a challenge, seeking an independent enquiry by editors of all media houses on the houses of Jagan and Naidu to find out who owns the most expensive house.

“I have been in politics for 32 years but I have only a three-bedroom house. One is for my son Lokesh and another for me. The third is meant for guests,” Naidu claimed. But in just five years of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s chief ministership, his family had acquired huge palaces, Naidu alleged and repeatedly sought to highlight the houses the YSR family has in Pulivendula, Kadapa, Idupulapaya, Lotus Pond (Hyderabad) and Bangalore.

Disgraced mining magnate and former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy too has a big house complete with golden chairs, golden beds and gold plates, Naidu said, wondering how they had earned such huge money in a short time.

Sakshi in its rebuttal trashed Naidu’s claim of a three bedroom house. It claimed the TDP chief’s house is worth `8.8 cr and is a three-storeyed building and pointed at deviations from the approved building plan.

Batting for Naidu, TDP politburo member K Yerran Naidu urged editors to judge the claims of both sides. “Jagan never allowed media into any of his houses including a big palace in Bangalore and one in Hyderabad,” he said.

He recalled that national political leaders had visited Naidu’s house several times and had lunch in the dining room. “Even the media was allowed to take photos in the dining room of Naidu. Jagan’s media is carrying fictitious stories on Naidu’s house,” he thundered.