Jagan's `Operation K' Jolts Naidu

by VV Balakrishna


After hugging Vamsi, YSRCP chief woos Mohan Babu



Hyderabad: The cold war between Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Nandamuri  Harikrishna and NTR Jr has come in handy for the YSR Congress Party to aggressively execute its "Operation K".
YSRCP is luring several Kamma leaders, whose affinity is for the Telugu Desam, in order to strengthen its base in Krishna and Guntur districts which are the strongholds of Kammas. That is the reason for YSRCP chief Jaganmohan Reddy hugging TDP Vijayawada Urban unit president and NTR Jr's close follower Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan, a Kamma, in full public glare.
Kodali Nani, MLA and another close follower of Harikrishna and his actor-son, seems to have counselled Vamsi to hold his horses. But, according to sources,  Vamsi is firm and is likely to make some positive remarks on Jagan in his written explanation in reply to the show-cause notice issued by the TDP. Now it is amply clear that the hug on the road was not just an accident but pre-planned, the sources said.
But, the Vamsi incident is not the first fallout of YSRCP's Operation Kamma. When YSRCP was launched, it lured Makineni Peda Rathiah who had strained relations with TDP chief Naidu. Had Rathaiah not joined the YSRCP then, another prominent Kamma leader of TDP from Guntur would have joined the new party then itself. But Rathaiah's honeymoon with Jagan did not last long and he quit the YSRCP. Now, the YSRCP is sending feelers to another Kamma leader in Guntur district with the offer of a Lok Sabha seat. If the leader, who has some personal image, joins the YSRCP, it will be a big catch for Jagan.
In Tenali in Guntur district, Nannapaneni Rajakumari's daughter and son-in-law have joined the YSRCP, causing her sidelining in the TDP.
NTR's daughter Daggubati Purandeswari is in the Congress and holding an important ministerial post at the Centre. In north coastal Andhra Gadde Babu Rao has already quit the TDP and is on the verge of joining the YSRCP.
Alarmed by Jagan's attempts to wean Kammas from the TDP, Chandrbabu Naidu has embarked on a counter strategy as part of which he has met veteran actor Mohan Babu in Tirupati. Not surprisingly, both of them praised each other. When  Mohan Babu almost decided to join the TDP, Jagan entered the scene to ruin Naidu's plan. He and his wife Bharati visited Mohan Babu's residence on Sunday. With Mohan Babu and Jagan having family relations, Mohan Babu has to choose between YSRCP and TDP.
A section of Kamma leaders are sore with Naidu for their neglect. And Jagan is too willing to fish in the troubled waters. Sources said Jagan is casting his net over potential Kamma leaders in the Congress too.
With major players Chiranjeevi, Jagan and Naidu representing three dominant castes in the state, the general election in 2014 is likely to be fought on caste lines and will prove costly for YSRCP in a majority of constituencies. Hence Jagan's desperation to lure Kammas into his party.


blurb
YSRCP is sending feelers to a Kamma leader in Guntur district, who has a good image, with the offer of a Lok Sabha seat