The resignation of YSR Congress party general secretary and Rajya Sabha member V Vijayasai Reddy from the party and his decision to stay away from active politics created ripples among the party leaders and cadre, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
Hours after tweeting his decision, Vijayasai Reddy on Saturday met Rajya Sabha chairman and Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar at the latter’s residence and submitted his resignation. Later in the evening, the Rajya Sabha secretariat issued a gazette notification accepting Vijayasai Reddy’s resignation and notifying the vacancy in the Upper House.
The resignation of Reddy comes at a time when YSRCP president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is on his Europe tour. While there is no official statement from the party to comment on the development, some of the party leaders felt that Reddy should not have taken such a decision when the party is going through a crisis.
Senior YSRCP leader and Lok Sabha member from Tirupati Maddila Gurumoorthy said that it will be good for the party if Vijayasai Reddy reconsidered his decision, as it was the time for maintaining unity in the party to see that Jagan gets re-elected as chief minister.
“We are all wishing that Vijayasai Reddy should continue in our party. Please do not exit from politics. Experienced people like you are necessary for the party. We should all work together to bring Jagan back to power,” Gurumoothy said while talking to reporters in New Delhi.
He said that there were no internal troubles within the YSRCP and Vijayasai Reddy, known for his boldness, will overcome any challenges. “It is a difficult development, but the party leaders will have to move on,” he said.
Former minister Kakani Goverdhan Reddy said Vijayasai Reddy was a key figure in the party’s efforts to make Jagan Reddy the chief minister. “He faced numerous challenges, particularly from political adversaries, with courage and determination,” he recalled.
He, however, said the party will continue to value Vijayasai Reddy’s contributions and leadership. “In case he reconsiders his decision, we will all ask him to stay in politics and continue with his service-minded nature,” he added.
Another YSRCP leader, who refused to be quoted, said Vijayasai Reddy’s resignation will have a serious impact on the party, particularly its relations with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the national level. “Though the Telugu Desam Party has been an alliance partner of the BJP in both the state and the Centre, the BJP national leadership has been maintaining an informal friendship with YSRCP, only because of Vijayasai Reddy’s clout in Delhi,” he said.
He said Vijayasai Reddy played a pivotal role in managing YSRCP’s affairs in Delhi and continuing the comradery with the BJP bosses. Now that he has quit the YSRCP and politics, it has virtually broken the BJP shield for Jagan, the YSRCP leader said.
Speaking to reporters after quitting his Rajya Sabha seat, Vijayasai Reddy told reporters that he was very much aware that his resignation will definitely help the Telugu Desam Party-led alliance in Andhra Pradesh.
“Even though I had three-and-a-half years remaining in my term, I decided to resign. I know if I resign from my Rajya Sabha seat, it will go to the TDP-led coalition, as the YSRCP which has a strength of just 11 MLAs, cannot win the seat. Yet, I have taken a conscious decision to resign,” he said.
He said that he hoped that someone with greater capacity than him should take his place in the Rajya Sabha, as they would be more beneficial to the state. “I don’t mind if the person is from the TDP or its alliance partner,” he said.
He said that he had conveyed to Jagan about his decision to quit the party and politics and the latter had tried to convince him to stay back. “But I made up my mind to quit. My resignation will not affect the party at all, as Jagan is an immensely popular leader. Even if a thousand people like me leave, it will not affect his popularity,” he said.
He asserted that he was quitting politics not to wriggle out of the cases against him. “I am not afraid of the cases filed against me. Why would anyone withdraw cases against me, if I step away from politics, it makes me weaker? he asked.
He recalled that the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed an FIR against him on August 10, 2011 in the quid pro quo cases filed against Jagan Mohan Reddy. “There was a massive pressure on me to turn approver in those cases, I refused. I was in jail for over a year and a half,” he said.