The Congress may have spoiled its chances in Andhra Pradesh by splitting the state, but its last chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy has been unable to cash in on the resentment to his advantage. Once hailed as a hero battling his own party for a united Andhra, Kiran Kumar Reddy (53) has today become a political outcast shunned by one and all. Reddy’s spiralling descent began when he stepped down as the chief minister on February 19, 2014. He parted ways with the Congress party to form his own Jai Samaikyandhra Party (JSP).
However, Reddy did not contest the 2014 elections-Assembly or Lok Sabha. “I am not contesting because I do not want to be the chief minister of state of 175 MLAs,” Reddy offered by means of a feeble defence. Even the most vociferous supporters of Samaikyandhra have accepted the inevitability of Telangana state, but Reddy continues to flog a dead horse. He continues to demand a Samaikyandhra and has his hopes pinned on the Supreme Court where his petition challenging the state bifurcation is pending.
From being Sonia Gandhi’s blue-eyed boy, Reddy is now a pariah shunned by the Congress and even his Jai Samaikyandhra colleagues who have parted ways, scouting for greener pastures in YSRC and Telugu Desam. His close confidant and Seemandhra Legislators’ Forum convenor S Shailajanath, too, has left the JSP and returned to the battered Congress. Though, according to recent PCC surveys, the Congress is not expected to win more than five to six seats in entire Seemandhra.
At the moment, only two leaders are keeping company with Kiran Reddy—Congress MPs Sabbam Hari and G V Harsha Kumar. The trio is on a campaign trail in Seemandhra that has not been garnering much attention.
Reddy was in Vizag for two days recently and at present he is touring south coastal districts. JSP’s election symbol—a pair of slippers—too has not found much favour with the people. Reddy’s attempts to reach out to the public through TV ads that explain that the party would protect Samaikyandhra the way footwear protects the feet too seems to have cut no ice. Reddy maintains he formed his party to protect the self respect of the people of Seemandhra. “The TDP, YSRCP and BJP had mortgaged self respect of our people at the feet of UPA. JSP is the right medicine to save the sentiments of people in Seemandhra,” he said.
The Jai Samaikyandhra Party is contesting for all the 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats though Reddy isn’t. “I am not contesting in the elections as I am not a power monger like TDP president Nara Chandrababu Naidu and YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. I do not understand how the two parties which are responsible for bifurcation of the state could seek votes in Seemandhra?” he argued.
There are no popular leaders left in his party. For instance, Congress MP Sabbam Hari was with Jagan Mohan Reddy for a long time and following differences left and joined Reddy. Though he is contesting for Anakapalle Lok Sabha on behalf of JSP, no one is taking him seriously. For the road shows that Reddy organised in Visakhapatnam, just about a 1,000 people showed up. Though he kept waving at the crowds, no one was paying much attention to him.
JSP’s manifesto launch too was a disappointment. Reddy spelt out his party’s objectives mentioned in the manifesto and left. He said his aim in life is to prevent the bifurcation since officially Andhra Pradesh is still one state. He referred to the case pending in Supreme Court which he filed himself and recalled filing an additional petition seeking advancement of hearings as the state would be officially split into two on June 2.